Hunters x And x Assassins
by eha1234
Summary: A year after Killua leaves Gon, he and Alluka are settling down in Japan. Suddenly that peace is disrupted when three quarters of the moon disappears overnight and Killua finds himself dragged into Class E. Will he and the rest of the class be able to assassinate Korosensei before the time is up?
1. Beginning Time

_Hunter x Hunter, Assassination Classroom crossover set a year after events of HxH and after the summer holidays in Assassination Classroom._

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

 **Beginning Time**

"Brother."

"Hmm…?" Killua replied, still staring at the selection of sweets on the shelf. They were colourful like gems in their neat little wrappers, so different to the big chunky packets that he was used to back at home. He wondered if they had any Chocolate Robots – he missed those…

"Bother!" the voice was more insistent now and Killua tore his eyes away from the sweet treats and turned to his sister. He smiled.

"Yes, Alluka?" he asked. There was a lot of things he missed (Chocolate Robots were only one of them) but seeing Alluka's face, with a hint of annoyance at being ignored but at the same time full of bright, bubbly energy, reminded Killua of why he was here.

Here. Japan. A peaceful world where your biggest worry seemed to be whether you had a food stain on your shirt. Away from Illumi and his manipulations, Mother and her expectations, Hisoka and his weird obsessions; away from danger.

 _(And away from ...)_

"I want to go to school." The phrase took Killua by surprise. He was fully focused now, studying his sister in search of a suitable answer. Whatever he was expecting, there was nothing on her face but blank curiosity. She was being serious.

"Oh, OK…" Over the past year, they had travelled the world together, seeing more in a month than they had in a life time and there was really no time to settle down, let alone do something as dedicating as going to school. Although, thinking about it, the wish made sense. Alluka was growing up now, and every day she wanted more – freedom, independence… _normality_.

Last month she had convinced Killua to settle down and find accommodation they could stay in for longer than a week (as was their normal routine).

More than once Killua had found her staring out of the window of their small apartment to other girls riding their bikes to school, a distant, longing expression on her face.

 _(She's twelve now, of course she wants more friends.)_

Friends. Alluka wanted friends. Friends she wouldn't have to say goodbye to when the time came, that she could talk to face to face instead of over the phone.

"Brother?" Alluka voice was a little wary. Killua realised his smile had dropped. He gave a little grin for reassurance.

"Of course. I'll see what I can do." The smile of pure joy that Alluka gave as a reply was enough to melt Killua's heart.

"I love you brother," she said.

"I love you Alluka," was Killua's customary reply.

A month and dozens of frantic phone calls later, Alluka had been enrolled as a first year student to Kunugigaoka Junior High School, a prestigious private school a ten minute walk away from where they were living.

* * *

The incident with the moon was quite a shock to everyone. One moment it was there, normal and whole, and the next, three quarters of it was gone.

All of a sudden, the news was everywhere. On TV, on the net, on the Hunter site…

In the public media information was scarce and full of wild speculation. However the Hunter site was far more revealing. It seemed that the culprit had come forward and was threatening to destroy the world at the end of the year.

There was a bounty up. Some ridiculous number Killua hadn't bother to even look at.

Killua, quite frankly, was uninterested. Once upon a time, Killua might have been the sort of person daring enough to except a challenge like that (he did go after the Phantom Troupe with Gon, after all) but not now; he had had enough of saving the world. Looking after Alluka was a full time occupation and besides, if the world's best assassins were on it, there was no point in Killua charging in. Killua was happy with the peace that he had.

"What's wrong?" Alluka would say.

"Nothing," Killua would reply, because it wasn't worth worrying Alluka over it.

School started in April. When Killua woke up groggily to a beeping alarm showing seven O'clock in the morning, the first thing that assaulted him was the scent of grilled fish drifting in from the kitchen. He sat up. The alarm clock was still ringing, the high pitch tones painful to his ears. He turned it off with a slap.

Not bothering to dress, Killua entered the kitchen. The smell of cooking food was far stronger here and Killua found his stomach growling slightly from hunger – he hasn't eaten last night, too busy shopping for everything Alluka needed for school, last minute.

Alluka was in the kitchen wearing her brand new school uniform, complete with shiny black shoes. It was different to her usual attire that consisted of a shrine maiden's outfit, and Killua couldn't help but notice as Alluka kept pulling down her skirt almost subconsciously. Killua had asked if she wanted to wear trousers, but she insisted. Her hair was the same as always.

"Brother! Good morning," Alluka's cheery voice said as she spotted Killua. It was Alluka. Only Alluka called him 'brother'.

You could never be sure, especially in the mornings, now that Nanika and Alluka had the freedom to switch interchangeably whenever they wanted to. It seemed to work far better than the old arrangement; it gave Nanika the liberty to do what she wanted without putting anyone in danger. She hadn't used her powers for a full year – ever since she had healed Gon – and the two were undeniably happier.

Although Killua supposed that could just be due to the lack of manipulative family.

"What are you doing?" Killua asked. She wasn't usually up this early.

"Making breakfast," Alluka replied. Sure enough, laid on the table were two bowls full of rice, miso soup and cooked salmon. No sign of red pepper, thankfully. Killua could still remember when Alluka had snuck some into his sandwich a few months back.

"I could make an omelette too, if you want," she added. Killua shook his head.

"Nah, looks great," Killua said. Alluka beamed brightly before pulling out a chair and sitting down. Killua did the same.

They started their meal in silence. It was sunny outside, although a few wisps of clouds clung to the blue canvas, and there, hanging like a tear drop, was the unnatural curve of the crescent moon. A reminder of the past event.

It would be hot in the evening.

"Brother?" Alluka suddenly said.

"Yes?"

"Do you think… do you think school will be OK?"

Killua paused, unsure of how to respond. He had never been to school before. Hell, other than Gon he had practically no friends who were the same age.

 _(And he hadn't seen Gon in ages)_

Alluka was smart. Even though she had not received regular education for well over a year, she had been able to pass the entrance exam to a private school that valued grades above everything – certainly not _easily_ but she had passed none the less. Unlike Killua, she was easy going and trusting. She made friends as naturally as breathing.

Killua gave a reassuring smile.

"It'll be great," he said, with sincerity.

After breakfast they left the apartment together. Killua walked with Alluka to the front gate of her new school, conscious of the other children milling around him, getting greater in number as they neared the school. A few stares were sent his way but Killua ignored them as best he could. Alluka had fallen unnaturally silent. Nervousness clung to her moves as she walked forward with a bag over her shoulder, as though she was excited but didn't quite know how the day would turn out. Reaching the large entrance, she stopped, then turned to Killua.

"Don't eat too much chocolate while I'm gone," she giggled, although the tension was still there.

"I'll be careful," Killua replied. Alluka looked at Killua one more time before, head high and eyes forward, she charged into her first day of school. Killua watched her until the crowd swallowed her form; from the back she looked like any other student, blending into the background effortlessly.

Suddenly Killua felt very much alone.

 _(She's just going to school, you idiot. It's not like she's leaving you forever.)_

It was like when he had left Gon – months of lying awake in bed not knowing why he felt so down. Nights spent feeling like he was a single speck of dust in a massive ocean, drifting aimlessly away from the security of land. But there was Alluka. He had done it for Alluka. He didn't regret his decision.

Killua spent one more second staring at the empty space where Alluka had been.

Then, he turned and walked away.

* * *

Alluka paused to take a deep breath. She had learnt so much in the past day, her mind was fuzzy and unfocused. School was so difficult! It was like nothing she or Nanika had ever experienced before – both intense and exciting at once. And it was only the first day, so most of it was just explaining how everything worked. It was lucky Alluka had Nanika. If she was too bored or tiered to continue concentrating in a lesson, they could just switch places and let the other sleep. It worked well for the two, although how the other students managed to endure was beyond Alluka.

However, what surprised Alluka more than the lessons were the students themselves. It seemed that there were groups of students that already knew each other, either from the neighbourhood or had simply been in the same primary school.

A lot of the children were new too, like Alluka. They didn't know each other and yet by breaktime they had somehow migrated into roughly formed groups, like water droplets sitting on the sink running into each other, as everyone started making friends. Alluka had been approached by a group of girls and they asked she wanted to join them.

"Yes. I'm Alluka!" she had replied.

"I'm Aili, it's nice to meet you," the tallest girl had said, the one with black hair to just below her shoulder and a friendly smile. "Would you like to join us?"

And just like that she had new friends. Aili, Kanako, Hikari… They were in the same class (Class B) and they were nice, but sometimes they did and said things that Alluka didn't understand. They found Alluka equally confusing.

Alluka glanced at the clock on the wall of the classroom. 2:40… If she didn't return home soon, Killua would probably be worried – he worried far too much, really. Picking up her bag, she moved towards the door.

"See you tomorrow Alluka," Aili said. Alluka looked at her.

"Aili? Do you think we can meet up after school, maybe? Brother would love to have you round." Alluka thought it was a harmless suggestion but something in Aili's face darkened. Had she said something wrong?

"Sorry, I need to study. I guess you're new to Cram Schools so you aren't used to it yet, but you need to take studying very seriously here. My sister came here before me – she's told me how hard it is to keep up. You don't want to end up in Class E." Aili gave a hollow laugh. It didn't suit her at all, Alluka thought. Alluka nodded.

"Bye," Alluka said. Giving a tight smile, Aili bustled out.

Alluka walked out of school deep in thought. However, as she saw Killua waiting by the entrance with a skateboard tucked under his arm, his white hair and casual clothes distinctive amongst the other student, a grin came to her lips. Killua could always make her feel happy. She jumped into Killua's arms. He hugged her back.

"How was it?" he asked.

"Interesting," she said, truthfully. "Brother…"

"What is it?" Killua said. Alluka pulled away from the hug and looked at his face carefully, lips pursed.

"What's Class E?" she asked, remembering what Aili had said before. There was a pause in Killua's rhythm, a brief moment of hesitation that could easily have been missed if Alluka didn't know him as well as she did.

"Alluka… are you sure… I…" Stuttering on words was always an indication he was trying to lie. But Killua never could lie very well to Alluka, even though he did it so flawlessly to everybody else.

"Brother!" Alluka stared at him straight in the eye, refusing to let go of her glare – she hated it when he tried to lie like that, thinking that leaving her in the dark would somehow protect her. There was shock plastered on his face (he always seemed surprised when Alluka got angry) but it quickly disappeared. He sighed.

"The teacher told us, remember…" No, Alluka didn't remember.

 _You weren't listening, were you,_ Nanika said. Her voice was teasing.

"… It's where students go if their grades aren't good enough, or if they are disruptive in class," Killua explained. "Although you'll be fine, I'm sure."

 _What do you mean by_ fine _?_ Alluka couldn't quite get the words out.

"All the older students laugh at Class E – and some of the new students – but really they're just scared of getting sent there. I wouldn't mind. Not really," Alluka said. Killua's face was funny, like he was impressed and amused at the same time.

"What?" Alluka asked, pushing her cheeks out in a comedic pout. Killua really laughed this time; a short joyful snort. He patted Alluka's head.

"You're cleverer than you look."

"What is that supposed to mean...?" Alluka started but it was interrupted as Killua hugged her again, tightly.

"You're brilliant," he whispered. Alluka smiled, a small blush forming on her cheeks.

* * *

 _Thank you for reading! Feedback is really appreciated._


	2. Bounty Time

_Second Chapter, in which Killua encounters a certain octopus shaped teacher._

* * *

 **Bounty Time**

Days swiftly turned to weeks which turned to months and the end of term was suddenly nearing. Alluka went to school every day and Killua spent his days spiralling swiftly into boredom – there was little to do these days other than spend his time in a gaming centre (Killua hadn't told Alluka about that particular hobby). Thankfully, Alluka seemed to be relatively happy and other than the few complaints about homework, no problems had cropped up.

Yet, Killua could not help but notice oddities around town.

Rumours of an octopus-like giant buying sweets from the store.

The yellow figure he had seen shooting through the sky, faster than anything Killua had seen before.

A few (badly executed) assassination techniques that had started to crop up within a certain group of students.

Killua had thought about moving again… but Alluka would say no – or at the very least be upset. At least there seemed to be no indication that these incidences would somehow cause harm to Alluka, but it was a still a little grating on his nerves. Killua found himself hanging about the school more often than he should.

"Killua." Killua took off his headphones and turned to the desk where his sister was sitting doing her homework, a pencil resting in her hand. "Pat my head."

Nanika. Alluka must have fallen asleep.

"Killua, pat my head." Killua looked at her eyes; they were blue, like his – wide with anticipating joy.

 _(Nanika can only perform wishes if she's 'black'. When I call her out she's always 'black' but when Alluka falls asleep, she's usually 'white'.)_

"Of course," Killua said. Switching off his laptop, he walked over to where Nanika was sitting and patted her head. She smiled gleefully.

"I love Killua."

Every day Killua was learning new about Nanika. She was shy, somewhat reserved compared to Alluka's more cheery attitude, and usually didn't talk to anyone other than Killua. She would do anything for a pat on the head. There was a simplistic quality about her. She preferred not to think about others, although she went through leaps and bounds to get acceptance from Killua.

"You need to do your homework," Killua said. Nanika looked at Killua.

"Aye," she said quietly. "Killua…"

"Hmm?"

"What am I supposed to do?" She pointed at the half completed sheet in front of her; it was a Japanese assignment, something of a weakness for Nanika who much preferred the more logical area of maths and science.

"Let's think about this together…"

School, it seemed, was revealing more and more about the pair.

 _No_ , Killua thought. They shouldn't leave until they had a solid reason. They were happier here.

* * *

Killua shot up the small path that lead up the mountain, the trees around him turning to a blur. Above him, only a few hundred metres away now, was the old school building that housed Class E. It, and the mountain it was on, was private property and not somewhere Killua would normally venture, but this did not deter him. He needed to know.

Class E of Kunugigaoka Junior High School.

E-as-in-for-End Class.

It was a ragged wooden building with missing tiles from ivy covered roof and a few boarded up windows, a stark contrast between the sleek, clean lines that made up the new school building. The students were in a lesson and the vicinity was devoid of any human presence. Killua relaxed, letting the electricity shrouding him fizzle out and disappear.

 _(This is practically stalking.)_

He needed to know. He needed to know what was going on, whether Alluka and Nanika were safe.

Consciously keeping his footsteps silent, Killua snuck up to a window. One peek. That was all. And then he would leave. He crouched under the wooden frame covered with a thick layer of moss.

What was he nervous for? Killua was a professional Hunter, for goodness sake; there was nothing to fear from a bunch of kids. Taking a deep breath, he poked his head over the window sill.

Killua's eyes widened.

He had no idea what he had been expecting when he had decided to investigate the students of Class E, but it was definitely not this. Yellow tentacles. A wide, gaping smile. In front of the blackboard, wearing a professor's outfit, with a piece of chalk in his hand was a monster.

A yellow octopus. Teaching.

Killua figured it must have been the shock that grounded him into place, like electricity cursing through his nerves. But electricity was a sensation he was familiar with, and it certainly wasn't like this. It must have been the shock that bound his feet to the ground because in no other circumstance would Killua have made such a simple yet stupid mistake. The simple ludicrousness of the situation.

The octopus turned round.

In Killua's mind the scene whirled slow motion, each frame clicking away as his brain raced to comprehend the information it was receiving; minutes that could only, in reality, be milliseconds.

Their eyes met.

It was a brief second but Killua saw it clearly – the octopus' pin prick eyes fall on his, the subtle change in his expression.

Killua, ducked down quickly, his actions finally catching up. His breathing had quickened, he realised, and he could hear his heart steady in his cheast. What the hell had that been? A Chimera ant? It could be, going by its otherworldly form. Teaching? Why? Questions raged in Killua's head, blurring into a mix of strange thoughts.

A few degrees calmer, Killua looked cautiously into the classroom again, fully expecting every eye to be on him. However, the class was still going on normally, the students with their head down and the octopus continuing its lecture, and the thing didn't acknowledge him again. Had it not seen him? No, Killua was sure their eyes had met and such an expression change was not one that Killua would miss easily.

Killua sat down.

The question was simple: dangerous or not dangerous? If he wasn't, then fine, he could teach all he wanted. If he was, then Killua needed to get Alluka out of here.

Damn.

It seemed this investigation had kicked up far more questions than answers.

 _Godspeed._

Electricity crackled around him, speeding his reactions to superhuman levels as he ran. Down the mountain, away from insanity, feeling like his head was going to explode. Entering town, he slowed to a walk. Around him people went about their normal business, oblivious to the huge discovery Killua had made. _There was an octopus teaching kids._ It felt like some sort of insane joke. He couldn't get the image of the huge yellow creature doing something as normal as teaching a class full of kids, with a piece of chalk in its large tentacle.

Killua had met Chimera Ants who were as capable of empathy and kindness as any human; maybe even more so – Ikalgo… thinking about it, he was an octopus too. Was Killua overthinking? If the octopus was allowed to teach, surely the authorities had decided that he was harmless to the students (at the very least).

Unless he was hiding his true intent.

Something was missing; there was a gap in the picture, big enough for Killua to feel that twinge of unease in his stomach, but so small he couldn't quite put his thumb on it.

"Damn," he muttered under his breath.

Was it worth disturbing Alluka over? God, he thought with an internal laugh. This reaction was close to paranoia - he should be used to people not looking like human's by now.

He slipped in to an alleyway – a short cut. It was darker here and the air cool on Killua's skin. Killua walked forward, eyes darting side to side; his nerves were alight, anticipating anything. It was a natural reaction to danger. An old habit, one Killua had never lost from his days as an assassin.

"Nurufufufu." The voice came suddenly from behind him. Killua started and jumped forward.

 _What the hell?_

Killua turned round. And there, standing with an air of arrogance around him was the yellow octopus.

"Who the hell are you?" Killua shouted, voice raised from surprise. It was like when Biscuit slapped him, years back in Greed Island, the huge shock when something had bypassed every one of his defenses, even though he had been fully expecting it. The difference in ability… Killua knew this was no ordinary enemy.

"Please call me Korosensei." The thing's grin was wide.

 _Gyo._

Killua focused his aura near his eyes as he had been taught, analysing the form in front of him for any clues of who (or what) it was.

Nothing.

Normal. Aura clung to the tentacles for a brief moment before travelling lazily upwards and disappearing into the sky. He was, either not a nen user, or incredibly competent at hiding it.

"Shouldn't you be at school?" the octopus asked, putting up a tentacle the same way somebody might put up a finger.

"I don't go to school." Suddenly, its face changed to dark purple, a big cross in the middle. Putting up two tentacles this time, the octopus, _Korosensei,_ made a cross in front of him.

"Wrong Answer. You should go to school; I think it will be a valuable lesson for you."

"It's none of your business. And shouldn't _you_ be teaching?" Killua shot back.

"Oh, no need to worry. It's lunchtime now." Korosensei said, his face back to yellow. His expressions really did change quickly. Killua did not relax.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"Nurufufufu," Korosensei laughed again. "I am the monster that destroyed the moon, and unless you or somebody else is able to kill me within the next year, I will destroy the world." The explanation took Killua by surprise. Did he just reveal something important? The way he said it, slipping it out like it didn't matter, made the phrase simply surreal – the octopus was almost certainly not taking him seriously.

"You…" Gritting his teeth, Killua activated his _hatsu_. Electricity surging around him, he moved, charging forward with a growl. The octopus blurred.

He was fast.

Killua tracked his movements with his eyes, seeing the tentacles but unable to keep up as the thing jumped upwards and sailed over him with ease. Spinning round, Killua fixed his most malicious stare at him. Korosensei's large head had turned stripy, green and yellow bands replacing the bright yellow. Its grin was taunting.

"Oh no. You'll need to think more imaginatively than that," it said. Killua did not reply. "Come to Class E. This is a personal invite – I'm sure the government will let you."

"Why should I?" Killua asked, unable to stop the question slipping out of his mouth. Korosensei had a strange air around him that simply made Killua want to relax; this, however, was another reason why the ex-assassin didn't trust him. It was unnatural, the cheeriness that this octopus emitted.

"Will you run away? I'll destroy the world. There's nowhere to hide." Korosensei laughed. The air around him seemed to crackle with dark, forbidden energy. However the atmosphere disappeared as soon as it had come. "… and because the Class will be far more interesting with you, of course!" Korosensei's permanent grin looked genuine. Killua blinked.

A mistake.

By the time he opened his eyes again, all he could see of the octopus teacher was a single yellow streak in the sky, heading towards where Killua knew was the nearest sweet shop (Killua visited often). Killua let go of the breath he realised he had been holding.

Damn, again. This complicated things.

* * *

 _Hunter Site - Moon Incident_

 _The culprit has come forward and threatened to destroy the world next April unless he can be neutralised in this time. All who have seen him agree that the culprit is capable of carrying out his threat. Threat level: A_

 _A bounty of ten billion yen (approx. 10,000,000,000 Jennys) has been issued by the Japanese Ministry of Defence, where the culprit is known to be._

 _All other information can only be accessed through the Japanese Ministry of Defence who is withholding it for the 'safety of certain civilians'._

 _The Ministry of Defence have stated they are willing to release information of the culprit's whereabouts and weaknesses to individuals, groups and organisations who wish to attempt an assassination, but only after all involved have agreed to a set of conditions. They must be tested by the Ministry of Defence. For contact details click_ here _._

 _Hunter Site - Moon Incident - New information_

 _Culprit Alias: Korosensei_

So it was true. Killua sat staring at the computer screen for a long time, trying to absorb the information that had just been given to him. He looked at Alluka, curled up on the sofa and drawing pictures on her notepad. She was still in her school uniform. It was late; they should really be thinking about bedtime. Should they leave? Would it be safer?

" _Will you run away?"_

 _(Hunter's don't run from danger)_

Killua paused slightly. Then, he clicked the underlined 'here' link, staring at the screen as the next page loaded.

 _Hunter Site – Japanese Ministry of Defence_

 _Head: Tadaomi Karasuma_

Printed underneath was a phone number. Getting out his phone, he pressed the number buttons in order. Killua's thumb hovered over the green 'call' button.

"Alluka," he said. Alluka stirred, looking up from her drawing and fixing a curious stare at Killua's face. "I'm just going out for a bit, OK?" Alluka nodded.

Standing up swiftly, Killua walked outside, phone still resting in hand. As soon as he was out of the apartment, into the crisp night air, he stopped. He looked down at the phone in his hand, the number still flashing on the screen.

He pressed the 'call' button.

* * *

 _Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, favourited or followed! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is appreciated:)_


	3. Interview Time

_Third chapter, in which Killua is interviewed by Karasuma._

* * *

 **Interview Time**

The examination should have started by now.

He had agreed to meet with the man on the other end of the phone – Tadaomi Karasuma, Head of Defence. Alluka was at school, as safe as any other student, but Killua still felt a little trepidation when he thought about the long distance between him and the school.

 _(She'll be fine.)_

What had urged Killua into agreeing to this – assassination, of all things – was beyond him; it could only be explained as an instantaneous decision. Maybe it was boredom. It could be. Looking after Alluka didn't involve much, now that she was in school for the majority of the day, and Killua had always been used to a life on the edge. Whatever the motive that had driven him, Killua couldn't turn back now without looking as though he was running away.

Gon.

Killua's mind often wondered to him these days, especially since his contract with the Ministry of Defence. What would he think of his new assignment? After all the promises Killua had made to stop killing.

 _(Not that he had cared when Killua killed Chimera Ants.)_

If the rest of the world was on the line, then Killua was sure he could make an exception; if the monster had destroyed seventy percent of the moon, that probably meant he counted as dangerous…

What was Gon doing now? Something exciting, knowing him. Killua smiled. A little pang pulsed in Killua's chest. It was called nostalgia, he had learnt; memories of things long gone.

"Hello."

The sound jolted Killua out of his musings, but he kept in his surprise and looked up from where he was sitting (on a couch in the rather minimalist interview room). Standing there was a man who looked to be in his late forties, wearing an immaculate suit which suited with his serious frown – he could easily have been a strict school teacher. Killua laughed internally at the subtle irony.

"Are you Mr Karasuma?" he asked. _No, the voice is different,_ he thought as soon as the words exited his mouth but made no effort to show his realisation.

"Oh, no. I'm just an… acquaintance," the man stated, his expression blank. "Lovro. A hitman dealer." There was a soft accent in his voice.

"Hmm." Killua said, staring at the wall in front of him, the mask of indifference plastered on to his face. A hitman dealer… interesting. He supposed in a peaceful country like this they needed a connection to the shady world of assassins.

"And your name?"

"Killua," he replied blankly.

"Killua Zoldyck, am I correct?" Lovro said. Although Killua said nothing, he couldn't stop the feeling of surprise enter his brain. He hadn't even told the man on the phone his second name, the question never having come up.

"How did you know?" he asked with a hint of curiosity, looking at the man this time. The man chuckled, bringing up one gloved fist to his chin and looking down at Killua with amusement burning in his eyes.

"The Zoldyck family are quite notorious – to someone who deals with assassins daily, their names are well known. If you wanted to hide your identity then I suggest you change your name."

"I don't want to hide my identity," Killua commented. As Lovro did not reply he turned his attention back on to the featureless wall in front of him, hoping that the man would just leave the room; he was unnerving. The way he moved was deeply unsettling, hiding a wealth of hidden strength that Killua could not help but notice, yet his aura remained completely natural. The contrast resonated unsettlingly. There was no doubt that Lovro had at one point been a professional assassin.

"An assassin at such a young age. Such potential."

Killua spun round, glaring at him, teeth gritted.

"I'm _not_ an assassin,I'm a _Hunter,_ " Killua corrected. His voice was deadly quiet, not quite hiding the underlying malice. The almost fourteen year old ex-assassin wasn't even sure what made him so angry, blood burning and rising to his head, but with struggle he kept himself rational. There was no point in losing it here. Lovro only chuckled again, annoyingly calm.

"A Hunter, I see," he said. "It must be hard, an ex-assassin turning away from blood, even if it to a life as adventurous as a Hunter. Tell me, do you have nightmares?" Lovro asked. There was no amusement in his eyes this time, only interest.

"Since when was it your business?" Killua asked monotonously. He turned back to the wall, intent on ignoring the other man completely.

"Have I hit a nerve?" Killua blanked his voice out, being careful not to let his expression change. The silence persisted for a while longer, each second Killua conscious of the stare drumming into his back. What did this man want? When was Karasuma going to come? If he didn't come soon, Killua thought he would end up killing the man…

 _(Not literally, Killua corrected himself.)_

 _Click._ Footsteps. More than one. The regular noises stopped just outside the door and, going by the soft _swoosh_ that followed, they had entered the room. Killua was forced to look up, curious at the new arrival but purposely kept his gaze as far away from Lovro, who was still standing in the corner, as possible. As he had thought, there were two people standing in the doorway – a man in a suit and a woman holding a clipboard.

The man looked at Lovro.

"Lovro," he acknowledged.

"Karasuma," the other man replied. _So this Karasuma,_ Killua thought. He was a formidable man; younger than Lovro and lacking in his quiet deadliness but nonetheless strong. Even without _gyo_ Killua could feel the aura around him, cocooning the man in a hard, protective shell. A nen user. A competent one at that. His expression was stern, serious. Turning to Killua, he nodded.

"Are you the new applicant, Killua?" Karasuma said. There was a little surprise in his voice, as though Killua wasn't quite what he expected.

"Yeah. The one and only," Killua said dramatically. He opened his arms wide, a little smirk on his face but his eyes were forward and focused. The trepidation disappeared from Karasuma's face, replaced with stern professionalism. Moving over to the couch opposite Killua, he sat down. The woman with the clipboard stayed by the doorway.

"You are a Hunter?" Karasuma asked. Japan was one of those unique countries where having a Hunter license didn't make you as powerful as it did in other countries; it abided by its own laws, had its own nen users working for the government. It was one of the reasons assassination attempts on Korosensei hadn't turned into a free-for-all – because the Japanese Government had been denying the Hunter site information. It was also one of the reasons Killua had come here; tracking him would be far easier in a country where a Hunter license got you anything. After all, both Hisoka and Illumi were Hunters.

"Yes," Killua answered. Karasuma stared at him for a second, gaze analysing and aura shifting to become somehow more malicious. Killua's aura moved with the attention, encompassing and protecting. His eyes narrowed.

It was a natural habit.

Karasuma nodded, as though satisfied.

"Then show me your _Ren_ ," Karasuma said. Hunter language. Killua guessed the head of the Ministry of Defence would know that sort of stuff. He briefly remembered being asked the same thing almost a year and a half ago by Tsezguerra, when Killua had played Greed Island with Gon.

"Here?" he asked quietly.

"Try not to break anything," was Karasuma's reply. Closing his eyes, Killua focused. His fingertips burst to life with tingling electricity, coursing through his nerves; the current travelled upwards, around him. Even behind his closed lids he could see the crackle of brilliant white electricity. Killua's eyes snapped open.

He moved on automatic.

Shock flared on the other's face, as to his eyes Killua disappeared from sight. Karasuma had just about enough time to breathe in before Killua appeared behind him.

"Seen enough?" Killua asked. Karasuma turned round and looked at Killua with a single bead of sweat rolling down his cheek. To Killua's satisfaction, out of the corner of his eye he saw that a similar expression of bemusement was present on Lovro's face.

"Yes," Karasuma said simply. Killua walked back round to his couch and sat down again.

"There are a certain number of conditions that you must agree to before you attempt your assassination," Karasuma continued. Killua nodded.

"Firstly, none of the information I disclose to you may be revealed to any third party without the permission of the Japanese Government."

"OK," Killua said. He wasn't going to anyway.

"Secondly, all assassination attempts that may result in civilian casualties must be reported and judged by myself before being carried out. No pointless killing."

"OK." Another reasonably easy one to follow.

"Thirdly, you will not be allowed to use nen." Killua stared at Karasuma, stunned. To be forbidden to use nen was like tying your hands behind your backs. Killua had seen Korosensei; it would probably be impossible to kill him with full usage of nen, let alone _without_ it.

"Why?" he asked. Karasuma sighed.

"To answer that I must explain the situation. That cannot be done without you agreeing to the conditions. I apologise for the inconvenience, that's the rules for everyone," Karasuma said. His face was as impassive as a sheer rock cliff. It seemed he would not be backing down on this one.

"…OK."

"Can you please sign the form," Karasuma said. The woman with the clipboard came forward and handed Killua a biro and a thin sheet of paper full of rows and rows of neat black letters; there was a dotted line at the bottom. Killua glanced over the words, skim reading for its meaning. Other than the conditions that Karasuma had set him, there seemed to be nothing of importance. Picking up the pen, Killua scribbled down his name.

Karasuma nodded. The woman came forward again and took the document away.

"The culprit of the moon incident calls himself 'Korosensei'. He is a three meter tall yellow octopus." It seemed Karasuma was expecting a reaction, going from the little pause, but Killua gave him none.

"I know," he said. "I ran in to him."

"Then you should know his top speed is Mach Twenty," Karasuma said. Killua's eyebrows lifted.

 _(Seriously? How superhuman is this thing?)_

"He is a genetically engineered lifeform."

"Genetically engineered?" Killua interjected.

"No, he's not an alien." The way Karasuma said it made it sound like a reoccurring joke. One that the older man was tired of.

"He has evaded all attempts so far to eliminate him by military artillery. The closest we have ever got is through assassination so that is the route we have decided is most hopeful. He is currently teaching at Class E of Kunugigaoka Junior High School and has said will stay there for the entirety of the year," Karasuma continued.

"This is where it gets… complicated. The main body of individuals carrying out the assassinations are the students." Killua didn't know if he could take much more shock during this conversation.

"Seriously?"

"What you have to consider is that if this monster decides to go into hiding then we have almost no chance of finding him again in time for the deadline. However, as long as the students are alive, we know where he is, we know his habits and we can study his weaknesses. This is an opportunity we _must_ not lose. Information on his whereabouts must not be leaked because if that happens then it will almost be guaranteed that somebody will recklessly bomb the entire town. Not only will this result in huge civilian casualties, the target probably won't even be killed.

"This is also where the limitations with using nen comes in. There is simply no way we can teach a class of thirty students nen. However if they see supernatural occurrences at every assassination attempt then questions will start to be asked. If questions are asked, being the inquisitive teenagers they are, will end up doing something that dangerous. The safety of the students is paramount." Killua nodded. It made sense, somewhat. It seemed the priority of the Ministry of Defense was to keep the octopus grounded, no matter what, and wait for an opening.

"However, if that nen can be passed off as a skill, or you have no intention of showing it to the students, an exception will be made. The students are quite… unknowledgeable… in those fields." Karasuma's face fell briefly – exasperation, fatigue, annoyance. It seemed that he had had plenty of dealings with these students.

"But they have potential. They are powerful allies if the situation is right," he added.

"OK," Killua said unsure; how a bunch of amateurs would help eluded him. "I'll bare it in mind."

"You can either stay in the classroom or attempt one hit. Presently there are two assassins who have permanent positions within the class – one is a teacher, the other is a student," Karasuma said. So there was another assassin who could pass of as a student. Killua wondered who that may be. "If you've met the target, then I suggest you become a student. He's already smelt you so he'll know you're coming a mile off."

"Smell?" Killua asked.

"He's got an exceptionally good nose."

 _(He's like a superpower exhibition, isn't he?)_

"OK," Killua said.

"After all the arrangements have been made, I will assume you will be able to start after the Summer Holiday is over." Karasuma stood up. "And lastly, the location of the school…"

"I know where it is. My sister goes there," Killua interrupted Karasuma's explanation. Karasuma's face did not change.

"Then, that is all," Karasuma concluded smoothly. "I will contact you when everything has been sorted." Killua nodded and stood up, walking towards the door that had been opened for him by the woman. As he passed Lovro (why was he still there?) the man passed him a smirk. He exited the room.

"Bear in mind, Zoldyck, however fast you are, he's faster." Killua looked round quickly, a comment on his lips, but the door was already closing.

* * *

With a click, the door shut. For a second nobody talked, each having their own set of thoughts whirling round their head.

"So, Karasuma. What do you think?" Lovro asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Plenty of better assassins have failed," Karasuma said simply.

"Maybe it's just my profession, I can't help but see potential. For someone his age, he's good," Lovro said. "I would love to have him as a student."

"He's a Hunter. You would expect him to be capable," Karasuma said.

"Oh, no, Karasuma. I've seen and fought many Hunter's in my life but the boy is something more," Lovro explained. "Isn't the world full of aspiring young men? This classroom just gets more and more interesting.

* * *

 _Thank you for reading! Please leave a review:)_

 _Tacio: Thank you, I will as much as possible._

 _Guest: I'll try!_

 _Guest: as it's the second time it's been mentioned, I'll copy and paste what I replied last time:_

* * *

 _Thank you for your review! Interesting topic actually, I was researching this before I started writing._

 _Firstly, I've written this story with the assumption that godspeed does not increase Killua's maximum speed. It increases Killua's average speed and reaction time using electricity to send nerve impulses directly to his muscles._

 _Reaction time can actually take up a huge proportion of the overall time it takes to make a movement. A car driver, for example, has a certain amount of thinking distance added to his stopping distance when braking. Although Killua's reactions are insanely fast anyway, this is limited to almost 0 with his godspeed ability. This is where his speed comes in. The royal guards don't stand a chance because Killua literally moves before they think._

 _Secondly, his average speed. No one can maintain their maximum speed for any length of time because of tiredness, pain etc. However, by sending messages direct to his brain, Killua can bypass this limit, thus increasing his average speed._

 _In the election arc, while escaping the butler guards, Killua comments that he can travel 40km in 10 minutes. That's 240km/h which is pretty slow by Korosensei standards. Even with the 240km/h, he did say that he was at using godspeed at his maximum. He's carrying Alluka, so let's times that by 5. 1200km/h. Still slower than Korosensei._

 _And to be honest, I kind of needed him to be slower than Korosensei for the story to work:P_

 _If you kind find a flaw in my argument, please tell me and I will try to think of something to work it out. Once again, thanks. And sorry it turned into such a lengthily explanation._

 _eha_


	4. Birthday Time

_Fourth Chapter of Hunters x Assassins, in which the Zoldycks celebrate a birthday_

* * *

 **Birthday Time**

 _("It must be hard, an ex-assassin turning away from blood… Tell me, do you have nightmares?")_

…

…

 _He missed. It wasn't every day that he missed._

 _One second he was aiming for the heart and the next his target had dived forward on to the floor, rolling away from him to gather distance. He felt skin and muscle and bone slice away under his nails but not the heart. He had missed. It was hard to see in the darkened room with no windows, but he studied his target anyway._

 _A man._

 _Thirty? Forty? Athletic, but easy enough to kill now injured._

 _What could only have been a millisecond hung in the air for eternity – the two staring each other down._

 _Blood dripped to the floor by his feet, pooling over his fingers. The lucid warmth was familiar but unsettling. So close – another centimetre and his target would have been dead. However, there was little time to scold oneself. He had an objective in front of him and reinforcements were storming up the stairs, their footsteps a painful reminder of his failure to finish off his target quickly._

 _He needed to act quickly. He moved with instinct, his mind a little distant as his body moved fluidly and suddenly he was striking for a second time, with his claw like hands aiming for the man's neck; the man's eyes widened – not a lot, but enough to show his fear._

 _The man leaped back again clumsily, clutching his would with a shivering hand. There was a wall behind him._

 _Trapped._

 _It was over. The thought seemed to register in the other's brain as a something changed in his demeanour – a grim sort of conclusion etched on his face._

" _Stay still, and it'll be quick," he said. Emotionless. Mechanical._

 _The man put his hands up in a last futile move a defence. It was pointless and the man knew it too. He struck without mercy._

 _There was blood on his hand. There was always blood on his hands. Or so it seemed._

Killua woke with a gasp, unsure for a second where he was.

The ceiling came into focus, lit up by streaks of sunlight streaming in through the top of the curtain; the rest of the room was still dark, the light blocked by a thick curtain.

Nightmares. He never used to worry about those – they had always crept up on him, sometimes or often, but blood was such an everyday thing back then. They could never scare him. It was different now. Memories like these left his heart beating and sweat slick on his face.

Yawning, Killua stood up. Walking up to the window he opened the curtains, letting the warmth bath his pale form. The height of summer had come and gone whilst they were away but the stifling heat was still there and although the mornings were reasonably cool compared to the evenings, it was still warm. The air was moist.

Killua glanced at his alarm clock. 6:00. It hadn't been set; Alluka had no school because it was the summer holidays had started. The house was silent, still, like the walls themselves were asleep. It was early for Killua, but not quite early enough to go back to sleep so he stood up and exited his bedroom.

He entered the kitchen-diner quietly. After opening the curtains to let in the sunlight, Killua sat down on the dining room chair, feeling heavy with the aftereffects of sleep still clinging to his muscles. For a while he just sat there, staring through the window at the drab grey of the apartments stacked on top of each other on the other side of the road. They were on the second floor and so the street below was hidden from where Killua was sitting but he could hear the hoots of cars.

After a while the room was getting noticeable warmer and the sun higher in the sky. Killua stood up. He moved away from the dining table and towards the kitchen, thinking about breakfast. Alluka would probably be up soon too. She was a generally an early riser.

 _(Gon had been too, thinking about it.)_

Almost as though she had heard his thoughts, there was a soft clatter from her bedroom and ruffle of movement, indicating that Alluka had awoken. With a click, her bedroom door opened, revealing a blaring looking Alluka standing in the doorway, looking at Killua through the hallway.

"Brother?" she said. It was Alluka again. She was smiling.

"Morning," Killua greeted. He got a frying pan from the cupboard and lit the hob.

"Happy Birthday!" _Happy…_ oh. July the seventh. Killua had completely forgotten. He was fourteen now. Alluka had entered the kitchen, bounding with excitement.

"Did you forget, Brother?" she asked, giggling.

"N- No," Killua stuttered. Alluka jumped towards him, embracing him tightly. "Stop it, the stove's on." Alluka didn't let go.

"I've got something special for today," she muttered, although it was hard to hear her when her face was buried in Killua's shirt.

"What?" Killua asked.

"Se-c-ret," she teased.

"Hey! Tell me!" Killua said. Alluka only giggled more. "Please?"

"I'll tell you later," Alluka said.

They ended up making breakfast together – Killua warming a sausage in the microwave ("Brother! How can you burn something in a _microwave?_ ") whilst Alluka whistled next to him chopping carrots. After they had eaten and cleared away, Alluka disappeared back into her room without a word. Killua sighed. She was being so secretive.

Without thinking about it too deeply, Killua showered and dressed quickly in to his usual outfit of a turtle necked T-Shirt, a V-neck over that and shorts. By the time he came out of his bedroom, Alluka too was dressed, grinning slyly. Killua noted how her hands were tucked behind her back.

"Happy Birthday! It's from both of us, Brother," she said. With a dramatic flourish, she revealed what she had been hiding. It was a small picture frame made out of brownish clay, a glass plane protecting the photo inside. His breath hitched in Killua's throat. Black spiky hair, bright brown eyes, massive grin; it was a face Killua recognised well.

 _(Gon.)_

"Alluka…"

"You miss him, don't you?" she said.

"I…"

"Don't worry, I know," she said sincerely and even though Killua wasn't quite sure what she was talking about, he felt immediately comforted, a warm bubbly feeling inside.

"Thank you," he told Alluka, taking the picture in to his hands. Killua smiled. "And thank you to Nanika too." Alluka nodded.

"You're welcome," she said.

"Shall we go somewhere today?" Killua asked, patting his sister's head. Alluka grinned brightly and nodded.

* * *

'Somewhere' turned out to be the beach, an hours train journey away. It was busy and full of tourists but somehow they managed to find a more secluded spot among the throng of people to put down their picnic rug.

"I'm going to school next term," Killua suddenly said as they settled down for lunch in the searing heat. Alluka looked up at him, surprised.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" she asked, her lips in a little pout. Killua laughed. However the noise was lost among the squawking of sea gulls and the conversations of other people around them. Sapphire stretched endlessly in front of them, reflecting the blue, blue sky.

"It slipped from my mind, I guess," he said. It hadn't – he had thought about his assignment almost constantly whilst Alluka was at school, but to be honest, he had never even considered informing her. Killua winced. He should have, really. She had a good nose for sniffing out deceit.

"What class will you be in?" she asked.

"Class 3-E," he replied. If there was shock or bemusement at the answer (Class E's reputation was infamous among the school, apparently), Alluka didn't show it.

"You'll be the youngest then, with your birthday so late" she said instead. Killua calculated quickly in his head.

"I'm technically in second year," Killua said. "Are you the oldest?" Alluka shook her head.

"There's a few people who are already thirteen," she said. Alluka would only turn thirteen in the autumn term; Killua intended to do something extra special, just as he had done the year before. It was to make up for years of missed birthdays, he guessed.

Opening a can of juice, Killua stared at the azure sky, feeling the strong heat hitting his pale skin – he should have probably gotten stronger sun cream. Suddenly having a thought, he turned to Alluka.

"Tell me about school," he said.

"Aye," Alluka replied, Nanika style, with a laugh.

* * *

Tired from their day, the two siblings sat quietly on the train home. Alluka rested her head on Killua's shoulder, her eyes heavy with fatigue; it had been a fun day – talking about school, running round rock pools, splashing each other in the warm, salty water. The tiredness that surrounded Alluka wasn't an unpleasant one; it was warm and happy. Tonight, Alluka would sleep content.

Nanika was stirring inside, reacting to Alluka's sleepiness. She had felt cooped up it seemed. Being a shy person, she never came out voluntarily in front of strangers, even though as long as she was 'white', they rarely gave her a second glance. Now that Nanika no longer had to listen to everybody's wishes, she was 'white' quite often. She preferred it that way, Alluka thought.

She was always 'black' for Killua.

Although Alluka could say with confidence that she was the person in the world who knew Nanika the most – they had been with each over for as long as they could remember - Nanika still held a little bit of mystery around her.

Killua's regular breathing was calming and after a few minutes staring into the buildings and trees whizzing past outside, Alluka quickly found herself slipping into the comfortable realm of a dreamless, hazy sleep. When she found herself yanked back into reality, the vicinity was already semi-dark. She was in the living room, lying on the sofa with her eyes fixed on the TV screen – there seemed to be a drama on.

 _Nanika?_

 _Killua patted my head!_

Alluka gave Nanika a metaphorical smile.

Killua was sitting on the other side of the sofa, fiddling with the remote.

"Brother?" she asked, looking up at Brother walking steadily onwards. He looked down and smiled.

"Are you awake?" Alluka glanced at the clock on the wall of the living room. It was seven O'clock, and probably time for dinner. Hunger clenched in Alluka's stomach, causing her to sit up from her comfortable position and stare at Killua.

"Did I fall asleep?" she asked.

"Yes, Nanika was out," Killua explained. Alluka nodded. He too glanced at the clock, as though thinking the same thing that Alluka had been thinking only a few seconds before. "Dinner's almost ready," he added.

"Brother."

"Yes, Alluka?" Killua responded with a warm smile. Should she say it? Alluka thought she was good at reading Killua's emotions but this was one thing Alluka wasn't sure of. However, it seemed Killua needed some advice, any advice, so Alluka went all in.

"…Don't be scared of school," she stated clearly.

"I'm not," he said, but Alluka knew him enough to hear the small, unconscious change in his voice.

* * *

 _Thank you everyone for reading and review! Feedback is appreciated greatly!_


	5. Professional Time

_In which Killua goes to school, for the first time in his life._

* * *

 **Professional Time**

The first day of school after the lengthy summer holiday was characterised by a whole school assembly in the hall. Alluka lined up along with the rest of her classmates, listening to the students do their presentations. She had never liked assemblies. The abuse thrown at the line of students near the edge of the hall – the ones with the mismatched uniformed and oddly coloured hair – was always a source of discomfort for her; it was wrong to hurt someone just because they were different.

But those were things you apparently weren't allowed to say, unless you wanted to end up there too.

 _Not that you care,_ Nanika commented idly from inside.

Killua was joining their ranks. It was strange, now that Alluka thought about it – Alluka had always imagined Killua to be someone… different, special. Seeing him in an environment as _normal_ as school was almost like seeing their Father as a legitimate businessman or Illumi as an animal conservation volunteer (OK, maybe it wasn't as otherworldly as that). It struck a dissonant chord inside.

For some reason the air was stuffy, full of tenseness that sent shivers down Alluka's back. It was like the crackling static in the electricity before a storm but blacker and deeper and somehow worse to be in. Unnerved; the word explained how Alluka felt well.

 _(She couldn't see Brother. Where was he?)_

"…Today, Class A will be adding a new member to their ranks. Until yesterday, he was in Class E!"

 _What?_

Alluka looked quickly upwards.

 _Click. Click. Click._

Footsteps echoed on the wooden stage at the front. A boy came on, tall with round glasses and a somewhat awkward stance. He walked on quietly with his head and high and back straight. Alluka didn't recognise him. She looked over to the line of Class E students, studying their faces, which ranged from confusion to shock, carefully.

It seemed they cared about their class mates, or at least this particular one - the look of betrayal was clear enough. They had about as much idea of what was going on as she did.

 _(Brother loves tight knit communities like that. He feels more comfortable.)_

The boy on the stage talked, line after line of dirt smeared on to Class E's name but Alluka was not listening. Not to the words anyway, more the forced undertone and the metaphorical chains that seemed to wrap around his body. The jerking movements. The small hesitation after each word, unnoticeable to those who didn't recognise it. It was horribly familiar; so much so it left Alluka's heart beating hard in her chest.

Killua had been like that too when he said goodbye and left her, years and years ago. Then once again, when he made Nanika go away, although he had been far better at hiding it.

Invisible binds, wrapping around where it hurt.

"… I will work hard that I will never fall into Class E again… that is all."

There was a stuttering silence – a thick blanket of shock stifling the air. Then… a single clap from the top of the stage. That single cound radiated outwards, racing like a fire across the hall until suddenly everyone was clapping. Then cheering.

"Well done!"

"I knew you were different!"

Alluka's eyes drifted to the line of Class E students, each frozen with shock ticking away on their faces.

 _(It doesn't make sense.)_

She did not clap.

* * *

It was Karasuma who introduced Killua to Class E. For the first hour of the morning Killua waited in the classroom as it seemed that there was a whole school assembly and he did not particularly want to go. The deserted classroom had yet to be touched; it was still the first day after the summer holidays.

"You must be the new assassin that has been sent in by the government."

Killua jumped round. He stared at the room, looking for the origin of the feminine voice. It seemed that the class wasn't quite as deserted as it seemed.

Near the corner of the room lay a tall cubic shape, complete black and somewhat featureless other than a screen on the front. Suddenly it flickered to life and there was the flat picture of a girl, around the same age as Killua, staring out with curious but collected eyes.

"Yes," Killua replied.

 _("There are two other assassins in the class")_

"I am Ritsu, autonomously thinking fixed artillery," she (or was it 'it') said with a smile.

"Fixed artillery…?" Killua asked. With a flick of her wrist, the side of the black box opened up and out popped a heavy looking gun which twisted round to aim at Killua. Not even leaving time for Killua to say anything, another flick and it was safely stored back in her body.

"That's cool," Killua commented.

"Thank you," Ritsu replied with a smile, twisting her hair in her fingers. Was it a habit? A computer with habits? Ritsu certainly seemed like an interesting individual.

"Our classmates will be back soon, I believe," she said. Killua nodded.

Korosensei arrived first, bursting in with a dramatic bang.

"Good morning, Mr…"

"Killua is fine," Killua cut in bluntly, although his voice was not cold.

"Killua," Korosensei repeated, his wide smile stretching further sideways, although Killua noticed it wasn't as wide as it could have been. "Welcome to Class E." He looked at Killua, a purple cross suddenly appearing on his face.

"You should be wearing uniform."

Killua looked down at his T-shirt and shorts, accompanied by his trademark trainers. He hadn't thought about wearing uniform. To be honest he had no intention of doing so.

"I'll think about it," he said.

The babble of conversation reached Killua's ears long before he saw the children coming up the windy path towards the old school building. There was something about the way they were talking – hushed and worried – that perked Killua up.

Tense.

They stopped when they saw the new addition to their classroom. A cautious expression flickered on to all their faces like a light and they stopped to analyse, examine, gawp.

Mainly the latter. They were, after all, still children.

Killua gave them a smile as they filed in quietly but it seemed they were distracted. Behind them, Karasuma stepped forward; his face was serious. His eyes passed over where Killua was sitting once... twice but the older man did not acknowledge him. Korosensei was eating bits of wood at the front of the classroom, the air around him jubilant, as though he was a toddler who had discovered a new toy. Such childish aspects was not endearing but quite the contrary; it was creepy.

Once all the students were seated, Karasuma introduced Killua.

"This is Killua," (No surname. Had Killua even told him? He had completely forgotten.) "-who will be joining Class E from now on," he said. A little of the edginess drifting round the room dissipated, but still there seemed a barrier, a rift between the new boy and the rest of the class. It seemed that although acceptance was readily given, trust was another thing all together.

"Hello," he said.

 _("_ _They are powerful allies if the situation is right")_

* * *

The lessons were boring. Killua sat through them concentrating as much as possible but it was difficult when there was a massive octopus teaching the class. The octopus' tentacles were just distracting, the lesson was dull. His senses were more alert than usual, looking for a weak spot.

A knife was stowed under his desk. Although Killua didn't usually use weapons, he had been told this was the only thing that worked against this monster. Killua did not like the guns. Too slow; he could dodge that in his sleep. Later he might ask Karasuma if he could modify his trusted yoyos with the special material that could apparently harm Korosensei, but for now the knife would do.

However, Killua could not deny that the octopus' teaching style managed to keep him sane through the entire hour of listening to information he probably would never use again in his life (who cared what sine, cosine and tangent was)? It was the subtle rhythm of his voice, the presence that surrounded him – both encouraging but relaxing at the same time – which almost bordered on hypnosis. Whether the would-be destroyer of the Earth was doing this with intention or instinctively through his devotion to his job was unclear, but Killua could already see the attachment forming between student and teacher, assassin and target.

 _("Never hold emotions for your target. Emotion will only seek to distract you.")_

It was funny: how much Killua remembered about his old life, so many years later.

Yet something was wrong. Killua couldn't put his finger on it, but something was just slightly off. All the Class's tension rippled towards an epicentre – an empty desk lying on the side of the classroom. Who had sat there? Killua wondered. Why were they no longer there?

* * *

Killua's first assassination attempt was nothing more of an experiment to gauge the octopus' powers; a knife in his pocket as he went up to hand in his work.

"Are you finished, Killua-kun?" Korosensei asked. Killua did not say anything, eyes cold and piercing.

There were no sounds of footsteps as he approached. Pin dropping silence.

When he was less than a metre away, he struck, hands moving at inhuman speeds to whip out the knife and slam it into where Korosensei's body had been in that instant; the same movement he had used when they first met.

This time, however, Killua attacked not through anger but instead focused on his eyes, letting the aura concentrate there. The world became sharper, more focused and he saw Korosensei move frame by frame.

What was Korosensei's starting speed, in that instant just after he started moving? Seven hundred kph? Eight hundred? It was too fast for Killua body to keep up but accelerating slow enough for his eyes to focus on the movement. By the time the knife slammed down, the place where Korosensei's large form had been was thin air. To be expected, really; Killua knew he could have to think more if he wanted to even consider catching Korosensei. It was so easy here – so much scope for experimentation without fear of your target escaping.

"Nurufufufu," Korosensei's laugh resonated from behind him. The blade in Killua's hand had disappeared. "Haven't I said, Killua-kun, you will have to think more than that. Bear in mind that assassination attempts during class are forbidden."

However Killua noted the slight wariness in his movements, as though he was anticipating something dreadful to happen soon. As Killua showed no sign of attacking again for the next second, the tension dissipated. He wondered why.

"Seriously? Even Nagisa did better than that," a red haired boy said from the back of the classroom. Nearer to the front, a blue-haired boy with pigtails looked quickly down with a flush on his face.

"Maybe," Killua said with a shrug and walking back to his desk and sat down.

With a shrill ring of the school bell signalled the end of the lesson.

As soon as the students were dismissed, Korosensei suddenly announced he was going to buy ice-cream and was off again into the sky with a bang. Although Killua was interested in where he was going, he was already out of sight by the time he made it to the window.

The blue-haired boy came up to Killua, a curious expression on his face.

"Hello," he said. "I'm Nagisa Shiota."

"Hi," Killua replied cheerfully. He noted the taller redhead behind him looking their way with a blank but solid stare. It wasn't malicious; something similar to curiosity. Looking round, Killua saw that the other members of Class E too had the same anticipating glance, waiting for something to happen.

"So… err… what do you think about the teacher?" Nagisa asked.

"He looks like a friend I once had." Well, Ikalgo was shorter and far more realistically octopus like than Korosensei, but it was close enough.

For a moment the silence was complete.

Nagisa paused slightly, unsure how to act. The rest of the class too expressed a brief moment of confusion, trying to figure out whether he was joking (who had a friend like an octopus?). It was so funny, watching them trying to find a box to fit him in. Killua still believed his charm point to be the fact nobody knew whether he was serious and times like these he found the temptation irrespirable.

 _(Gon knew. Gon had always seen through him like glass, piercing him like light. But not the one time when it had mattered.)_

"You are the assassin that Karasuma said was coming, aren't you?" said the red-haired boy. He was blunt, wasn't he?

"What if I am?" Killua replied.

"We all are here." Assassins? Killua almost laughed. These kids, and they were kids – all terribly ignorant and blissful to the world – were as far from assassins as one could get. They had no idea what it was like to kill. They used fake rubber knives and fake plastic guns in a fake world, where mistakes cost you nothing, where each effort was commended, not disregarded as the norm.

But hadn't Killua said something like that before too?

 _(I'm a hunter now.)_

Even when, looking back, he realised how weak he had been. An amateur, walking into the world of adults, announcing himself as professional.

Killua shrugged.

"This is Karma," Nagisa said, introducing the boy. Killua nodded in acknowledgement. The other boys grin was mischievous.

With that the attention of the room shifted off of Killua. Introductions were over and now it was time to discuss other, more important matters.

... A conversation that did not include Killua.

It was pointless to try an assassination attempt when the target wasn't even there, so Killua went outside to enjoy the sun and explore the forest at the back of the school, jumping lightly from tree to tree with wind whipping against his face. It was set on a mountain, full of ups and downs. Large boulders made mini hills and the sides of the deep gauge that the small stream had made over time had turned to steep cliffs. Killua jumped down effortlessly.

Here it was quieter, away from the smog of the city. It felt untouched, an island of paradise among the sea of urban society, that Killua knew stretched as far as the eye could see behind the trees that kept it hidden from view.

 _(It felt like he was on Whale Island again. He kept looking ahead for the boy with black hair, his easy going grin… the eyes full of bright energy.)_

Running was good.

The things that you can forget whilst running.

* * *

 _Another chapter finished. Thank you, again for reading and review. Please leave a review if you can!_


	6. Duel Time

_In which Killua makes his second assassination attempt._

* * *

 **Duel Time**

Returning to class the others were still milling outside the classroom – break still hadn't ended and Korosensei had not come back. Killua went inside and sat down on his desk at the back of the class. He spent the rest of his spare time staring at the blackboard.

Next lesson was P.E. It seemed interesting, far more so than the last lesson and Killua watched carefully. In pairs, members of the class took turns to run at Karasuma, rubber knife in hand. The aim was one hit and even though Karasuma was the Head of Defence with a depth of strength that not even Killua could gauge, he was still struggling to avoid every single hit (although, of course Karasuma wasn't using nen).

They had potential. Some of the more able members of the class weren't bad at all (still pitiful compared to Killua's standards), displaying the agility of a gymnast, the strategic thinking of a fox and the sort of determination that would have perked Hisoka's interest (although the latter was under _no circumstance_ something to aim for). Who cared whether Gon way back in the hunter exam could have beaten them? This was assassination, not a battle, and in this playing field even the weakest could get lucky.

So many mysteries. On one side Class E was a normal classroom; on the other, these were kids training to kill.

"Killua-kun."

Killua felt the teacher's presence an instant after the voice sounded. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck were tingling with nervous energy. A stray crackle of electricity made its way down his fingers.

"What do you want?" Killua asked. He hated it when people snuck up to him like that. Especially the octopus. There was something Killua couldn't put his finger, a screaming voice at the back of his mind that told him to not lower his guard around this creature, and it wasn't just because he was threatening to destroy the Earth – here that could almost be forgotten.

What was it? Familiarity?

 _("He's the same as me. I can smell it.")_

"Just enjoying the view," Korosensei said with a light chuckle.

In front of them, a girl with long hair tied in a ponytail thrust out her knife, using her long reach to aim for Karasuma's face. He dodged it effortlessly.

"Have you talked to any of your classmates?" Korosensei asked. The sudden personal nature of the question struck Killua oddly and he turned abruptly, staring at the fixed wide grin.

"Why do you care?" he said casually. Korosensei's yellow face changed hue ever so slightly, getting lighter and brighter. What did that mean?

"Because I want you to be part of Class E, of course!" Korosensei said cheerfully. "I consider every student put under my care to be priority." Killua froze for an instant, taken aback by Korosensei's remark. A frown adorned his face. This was the monster that was threatening to kill them all in a year? And his students were priority? Killua almost laughed at the irony.

"I'm a professional," Killua stated simply. Korosensei paused before continuing.

"But you are a student, Killua-kun, not a teacher," Korosensei said holding up one yellow tentacle as though the statement had made sense. The language of Class E – teachers taught the students, however mature they seemed to be.

A boy this time aimed a stab at Karasuma's chest area, just where his tie was. If he were human, his heart would be there. With a swipe, the teacher deflected the blade, although Killua noticed the slight change in his expression – he hadn't been expecting that, apparently.

"Prove it, then," Korosensei spoke up suddenly. "If you say you are professional, prove it." Green and yellow stripes banded the large head. Killua studied Korosensei. His hand twitched but Korosensei's beady eyes were on it in an instant.

Killua sighed. Stupid octopus.

* * *

At the end of the day the members of Class E gathered (other than Killua who had disappeared).

"Let's go," Megu said grimly. The rest of Class nodded in assent. The air was grim.

Takebayashi had left. Not just left, he had dishonoured them, shamed them, turned his back on them in front of the entire school. Here, in Class E, when comradeship meant everything to those constantly pushed down by the rest of the school, such an act was… unimaginable.

At break they had agreed to talk to Takebayashi at the end of school. Now the time had come.

Nagisa looked around for his pencil case. Although the rest of his bag was packed, it was missing, even though he was sure it had been on his desk a moment before. He couldn't find it anywhere…

"Go ahead," he told Sugino, who was one of the only students left in the classroom.

"Are you sure?" Sugino asked and Nagisa nodded. With his bag over his shoulder, he bustled out of the classroom.

"What are you looking for?" Korosensei said, coming up behind Nagisa. His looming presence was hugely powerful but at the same time comforting.

"I can't find my pencil case," Nagisa explained to his teacher. Korosensei turned into a blur before coming back in front of Nagisa, apparently unchanged other than the pencil case sitting on a tentacle.

"Thank you!" Nagisa said brightly.

As he exited the classroom, the first thing he saw was Karma leaning on the wall.

"Hi," Nagisa said. Karma gave a small grin in reply.

They walked down the small path together.

"So, what do you think?" Karma asked. Nagisa looked up to this friend, studying his face carefully. There was little indicating his mood, but Nagisa could tell he was genuinely curious. Nagisa could always tell, somehow.

"About what?" Nagisa asked. He knew what this was about, but he asked just to be sure.

"The new assassin, obviously," Karma replied. Looking down, Nagisa looked for the right answer. He was around their age but other than that they had little information. He had only attempted one assassination attempt and it hadn't been overly impressive, although Nagisa could tell he wasn't going all out then.

To be honest, the boy, Killua, terrified Nagisa. None of the class seemed to have noticed the silent deadliness around him, the inky shadow that had passed through his face when he had swiped the knife at Korosensei. Deadly, silent.

"He's professional, I think," Nagisa said. Karma looked at him surprised. It was not like the dark aura that some assassins used to scare people. It was the contrast that scared Nagisa. When Nagisa had first seen Killua, he had been sarcastic and arrogant but normal nonetheless, and yet at that moment – like a switch had been flicked – suddenly he was very much a killer.

"Seriously?" Karma asked. "Even you can think more imaginatively than hiding a knife." So he hadn't noticed either. Sometimes, Nagisa thought he must have been dreaming. Nagisa shrugged. He looked forward. Suddenly a prick down his neck caused Nagisa to look up. The canopy of leaves above them seemed empty…

Looking back down, Nagisa continued to talk. Was it nothing? Before entering Class E, he would have ignored anything as little as a feeling. But then again, Lovro had told him to trust his instincts. Making a decision, Nagisa pretended to walk normally for another hundred metres or so. However, once they had passed a curve in the path, he grabbed Karma's arm.

"What is it?" Karma asked, a sudden look of worry on his face.

"Shh," Nagisa said and leading Karma by the arm, dived into the trees. They travelled upwards through the thick undergrowth to the place where Nagisa had first felt the presence. As the path came back into view, Nagisa gasped.

"Hey? Isn't that Killua?" Karma asked. And sure enough, there was Killua, charging at Korosensei, knife clutched in his hand.

* * *

 _Breathe in. Breathe out._

Slowly, Killua opened his eyes, piercing blue eyes studying the area. His zetsu was perfect, his senses sharpened to maximum. Like this he could hear the softest rustle of leaves underlying the other sounds, even the quiet footfalls of animals.

Two boys – Nagisa and Karma – passed underneath him. Suddenly, Nagisa looked up and Killua froze for an instance, but the boy quickly looked away and continued talking. Killua shook his head. He couldn't have been spotted; Killua would almost certainly have noticed if he had.

Perching on the top of a tree, Killua was looking down at the path to Class E. From listening to the talk of the class, he knew Korosensei would come down this path any moment now. He had been waiting patiently for his target since they had been dismissed for the end of the day. To be honest, Killua wanted to go back down the mountain to pick up Alluka, but decided to stay put.

If he could kill this monster now, then there would be no need to go to school tomorrow and keep Alluka waiting.

Suddenly, Killua felt a presence. With a glance in that direction, he confirmed his suspicions. A few hundred metres away, Korosensei was moving steadily towards him, only a slither of his yellow skin visible through the thick leaves.

Killua resisted the urge to tense.

 _("Don't leak bloodlust right until the moment you strike.")_

Soon, Korosensei was passing underneath Killua's branch. Killua's breathing sped up ever so slightly, but he wrestled it back down. If he let Korosensei feel his presence now, all would be lost.

Jumping down from his branch he hid behind a dark cluster of trees, staring at the path through the thick leaves. The yellow form of the Class E teacher came into view. Waving his tentacles with a worried smile on his face, he was muttering softly to himself. Killua tensed his muscles.

Just when Korosensei was passing him he struck.

He sprung, cat like from his hiding place, springing towards Korosensei. It was only when Killua was millimetres away, he let out his bloodlust. It sprang out, eager, black and deadly. Korosensei turned, apparently unperturbed. Killua knew that in any normal circumstance, Korosensei would almost definitely be able to escape now. But this was no ordinary circumstance.

 _Rhythm Echo._

Killua's form suddenly split into dozens of different illusions, all charging forward. In that instance, Korosensei froze. It was a small lag of reaction time, a hesitation in Korosensei's movements, but it was enough. Jumping forward, Killua slammed a palm against one of Korosensei's tentacles.

 _Lighting Palm._

There were no students around so Killua decided it was worth the risk. Besides, this particular move could be easily explained by a stun gun.

Electricity cracked along his hand, stark white.

Korosensei was glowing, frozen either by electricity or shock. It was like time had stopped for an instance, but Killua could move and Korosensei was a duck, waiting to be butchered. Killua's other hand shot forward, a knife waiting.

He stabbed Korosensei in the heart.

There was a small amount of resistance before the knife slid forward effortlessly. The lack of opposing force took Killua by surprise and he tipped forward. Something floppy collapsed onto the floor. The satisfaction that settled in his gut was sickening.

"Not bad, Killua-kun." Killua couldn't believe his ears. Looking round, his eyes saw the yellow figure. Korosensei was alive, without a scratch on him, a big orange circle on his glowing face.

"Using your assassination to skills to surprise me and dull my movements was a brilliant move, but you forget about my monthly ability to shed my skin." Korosensei's face turned stripy green and yellow. "You will have to try better next time." Killua sighed.

"I guess you aren't _that_ easy to kill," he said with a small laugh.

"And what do you think, Nagisa-kun, Karma-kun?" Korosensei asked, looking towards the bushes. Killua looked round in surprise to see the two boys appearing from their hiding places. He had been so focused on Korosensei, he hadn't noticed.

 _(So Nagisa was far more perceptive than first thought.)_

"What was that? He can't be fast enough to make duplicates… could he?" Nagisa asked, his eyes wide. Korosensei laughed, shaking his head.

"No. This is an assassination technique that relies on technique rather than speed," Korosensei explained. "It is called 'Rhythm Echo'." Killua looked at Korosensei curiously. How did he know that? Not that is was a particularly secret move, but it was still quite unknown. Karma was looking at him, a vaguely impressed expression on his face.

"What about the electricity? A stun gun?" he asked. Killua remembered what Karasuma had said – they really were oblivious. He nodded. The disguise would do for now.

"And I think, Killua-kun, you have proved yourself to be a competent professional. You still have to work on your teamwork though, if you want to succeed." There was a little smirk on Korosensei's large face.

Killua looked down, refusing to meet his gaze.

He was probably going to have to start thinking more seriously if this mission were to succeed. He would have to stay longer in school, more time away from protecting Alluka and pointless work.

"Hmpf," Killua said quietly under his breath before running down the path. He would be late picking his sister up at this rate. Although Korosensei could easily have followed him, Killua didn't see him.

* * *

 _Once again, thank you for reading. If you have questions, feel free to ask._

 _Truthfulness, Aaron, Random Fan, Guest: Thank you_

 _Taco: maybe soon?_

 _Guest: Firstly, thank you for your review! Killua is stronger, faster and more experienced that the entire class, and completely out of their league. However, at the same time, they've come closer to killing Korosensei than anyone else. Killua will have to team up with them if he wants to kill Korosensei - AC puts a lot of emphasis on the importance of teamwork and I've tried to incorporate that. I've reread it and taken notes on where Killua jumps and listed them, explaining why he does so in each._

 _1) When he first meets Korosensei - surprise at the fact he's not human. 2) Second meeting with Korosensei - Korosensei is a lot fast than he thought. 3) meeting with Lovro - Lovro is a professional assassin and knows how to mask his presence 4) Meeting Ritsu - she's a machine, Killua can't feel her presence._

 _I've edited where it seems appropriate._

 _Once again, thanks for your review!_


	7. Classmate Time

_Seventh Chapter: thanks for reading!_

* * *

 **Classmate Time**

Korosensei disappeared off into the distance, a streak of yellow zooming skywards. Killua, left with Nagisa and Karma, walked down the path. There was silence. The sort of awkward silence that everybody wanted to break but didn't know how to do; like glass, but it was everywhere, drifting through the air. It was Nagisa who spoke up. Surprising seeing his usually reserved personality.

"Where did you learn that technique?" he asked. Looking into his eyes, Killua saw curiosity. A pang twisted somewhere near his stomach. If those eyes had been brown, they could have been identical to Gon's.

"Family business," he said.

"What sort of family business?" Not many people had the guts to ask that. Not that Killua was complaining – he liked being asked. It was funny the way people looked at him - shocked and scared stiff - when he told them the truth.

"My family are assassins," Killua replied. Karma and Nagisa both turned their eyes on him in synchronised movement. Neither fear nor repulsion was written on their faces. Surprise? Awe? Yes, but not fear. Killua didn't know whether he should have expected it or not, bearing in mind the nature of this particular class.

 _("Both of them?")_

"Seriously?" There was doubt in that question.

The contradiction was jolting. Like being dragged out of a pleasant dream.

Killua could still remember, clear as daylight, that day when Gon had looked at him straight in the eye, as an equal. To him it didn't matter that his family were killers. He was just curious. To all intents and purposes he could have been asking Killua whether he liked orange juice or apple juice.

It was different here.

"Maybe," Killua answered, a wide grin on his face.

They arrived at the bottom of their hill. The students of the main school building were coming out as a wave of people and it was difficult to see where Alluka would be. He turned his head from side to side, searching.

He saw her, bright smiley faces in her black hair.

"Alluka!" he called and she looked over, a smile blossoming on her face.

"Brother!" she replied. Running to him, hair flying backward, she pulled him into a big hug.

"Hey, Alluka, I'll fall over," Killua laughed, although he knew full well Alluka had neither the raw strength nor weight to do so.

"Brother, how…" Alluka paused. A frown slipping onto Killua's face, he followed her stare.

Killua spotted Nagisa staring straight ahead. Karma too. Then he noticed the group of Class E students standing stock still by the steel fence, all the concentration intently focused on one spot. He let his eyes travel along their stares and found them settling on a boy walking out the school.

 _(The empty desk.)_

So somebody _did_ leave Class E, and apparently left a lot of hurt behind him.

"Takebayashi!"

The lanky boy turned, fixing his eyes on the members of Class E. It was difficult to see through the thick rimmed glasses in the bright light but underneath, his eyes were glazed with guilt.

Despite the anger that had radiated from the class throughout the day, the expressions on the faces of most the students were nothing more than genuinely upset.

"Why did you do that? Why did you leave?" A girl with pigtails asked. Takebayashi looked briefly down onto the floor, his lips pulled in. Alluka's grip on Killua's hand tightened. He squeezed her hand lightly back, reassuringly, he hoped. From next to Killua, Karma spoke up.

"So you through away the ten billion yen then?" As always, Karma's tone was mocking.

"One billion," Takebayashi said. He pushed his glasses into his face with his forefinger.

One? Where did that number even come from? Killua wondered. He didn't have to wait long to find out the answer as Takebayashi started explaining.

"I'm not competent at assassination, so succeeding in killing Korosensei on my own is almost impossible. If I were to somehow be lucky and assassinate Korosensei as part of a team, I would be lucky to get one billion.

"…that is the sort of money my family can receive just by working. If I got one billion by assassination, they would just mock me," Takebayashi's voice was bitter. A small hallow laugh bubbled up from inside his throat, coming out quietly.

"They're doctors, and being able to work is 'normal'. Not having good grades meant I wasn't worth being part of the family. When I told my father that I had got into the top fifty and moved into Class A, the thing he said? 'Well done, you've been saved by a skin on your neck' …how much I had worked to get that!" Takebayashi frowned, face twisting.

"To me, my family's recognition means more to me than assassination," he concluded. Before anybody had the time to recover, to react, he turned and dived in to the crowd.

Recognition.

Killua had never strived for recognition within his family – in fact he avoided it as much as possible. Recognition only meant further expectations, to be better, stronger, perfect… In a way Killua didn't want. But the way Takebayashi had said it, it was like there was nothing else in the world worth more than it.

 _(Idiot.)_

"Come on, Alluka. We're going," Killua said, tugging on her hand. She didn't move. Looking down, Killua saw her eyes wide, fixtated on the spot where Takebayashi had been.

"Alluka?" Killua said, his voice wavering with uncertainty. How much had she heard? How much had she figured out? Killua realised with an internal wince that after two months, he still hadn't told her about his purpose in Class E.

As though coming out of a daze, her eyes snapped onto Killua's.

"We're going," Killua repeated.

"OK," Alluka said. They walked away from the gate, their steps slow and rhythmic.

For almost the entire walk home, Alluka was uncharacteristically silent. Distant. Thoughtful. Killua had conversation starters resting on his lips – 'how was school', 'what did you do' – but for some reason they were stuck, unable to come out.

"What did he mean, assassination," Alluka asked. Killua froze. So she did know.

A vague feeling of panic resided deep in Killua's head. He wasn't sure he could find the right words to explain the situation, or at least one that would satisfy his sister.

"How was school?" Alluka asked suddenly, changing her tactics to one more subtle.

"Oh, it was…" _interesting? Frustratingly complex? Taught by an octopus?_

Killua assumed Alluka would have sensed the hesitation. Any moment now she would give up on teasing the information out of him and start grilling him. Ask more questions, sniff out a fragile lie.

"Alright," Killua concluded, truthfully, or at least half so.

"Hmm," Alluka said. Killua could sense the swirl of emotions underneath the simple sound. For all the mystery surrounding her, she was as expressive as an open book. Yet, for some reason, Killua could not pinpoint what those feelings were. An open book, but one that was written in a different language to Killua.

Alluka turned away, staring straight ahead with her bright eyes. The conversation was over.

Although surprised (it wasn't like Alluka to not push for an answer), Killua breathed a sigh of relief in his head. He hated having to explain. Silence was far simpler.

His feet paused outside their apartment. After a term of going to school with Alluka and back again, he knew almost naturally where he needed to go. A quick rummage in his pocket and he produced a set of keys. With a little twist of his wrist, the door was unlocked. With a push it was open.

They were home.

* * *

When they got home, Alluka started tackling her homework. She sat in the living room, paper sprawled out in the desk in front of her. Brother had gone to drop his bags off in his room. As her pencil scribbled away, however, her mind was elsewhere. She was deep in thought, distracted.

She knew Killua was hiding something. It was something to do with Class E – why else would he randomly decide to go to school, although he had not even shown an inkling of wanting to go beforehand. However, Alluka had not mentioned it, fearing that a single touch on the subject could break everything apart. Killua was so sensitive and it would be a huge mistake for him to not take the chance to meet new friends.

 _Assassination._

The boy who had come back to the main school had said something about that, hadn't he. Was that why Killua was so intent on hiding things from Alluka? He did seem to avoid the word with determination.

Alluka knew her family were assassins. She knew that when they went out to do a 'job' they would have come back with yet more blood on their hands. Even Alluka had killed (although technically it was Nanika) so she could be counted as 'normal' either. Until she had left the Zoldyck estate, she hadn't even realised it wasn't normal. And yet Killua seemed to think that the word would somehow corrupt her.

Why did he never stop, never settle, kept going as though being chased? ... That was one of the secrets that he refused to part with, and the one Alluka wanted to know the most. It was frustrating.

" _If it weren't for me, everyone in the family would get along better, right?"_

He still hadn't answered that question.

And Alluka was scared of asking again.

There was a click across the hall. Alluka looked up to see Killua emerging from his room. Looking up at the clock, she saw fifteen minutes had passed since he had gone into 'drop off his bags'. What had he been doing in there?

Who cared?

"Brother," she called. He looked at her, his usual warm smile resting lightly on his lips. "Don't you have homework," she said, a scold on her face although it wasn't a serious one. His smile dropped, comically. Putting his hands up defensively, he backed off into his room.

"I don't think…" He started. Always making excuses. He really did hate maths didn't he? Although to be honest, Alluka felt the same.

"Bring your bag and come here," Alluka said, pointing at the empty space next to her. She put force behind her voice. Killua sighed in defeat.

"Alright, I guess," he said and disappeared into his room.

Keeping an eye on the clock to make sure Killua hadn't run away into his room, Alluka continued her train of thought.

There was a connection, she was sure, to all the drama and Nanika. Nanika had been with Alluka for as long as she could remember, and it had never felt horribly 'wrong' in any way. She realised other people didn't have voices in their heads or powers that could squish people, but it had always been… ordinary. Her day to day.

But apparently it wasn't ordinary. At all.

Killua had told her, or at least indicated – she mustn't tell _anyone_ about her powers, she mustn't tell anyone about her family – that they were somehow different from the rest of the world. However it was only until she had entered school that the full brunt of the realisation had struck her. She was still trying to get to terms with it. The girls at school thought differently to her. Every now and then, their actions and words caught Alluka by a dissonant surprise.

 _Assassination._

 _Class E._

Why did Brother act as though she must be protected from the world she was used to? Pushed into the 'ordinary'? Couldn't he just _tell_ her what was wrong?

Alluka sighed. Things were complicated, and sometimes it was easier just to let it go.

After forcing by Killua to do homework for an appropriate length of time, Alluka stopped. She put her pencils away and stacked her notebooks into a neat pile.

"Dinner?" she asked, glancing up at the clock. It was about the right time. Killua looked up. He had got a reasonable amount of work done, surprisingly, although Alluka doubted he would have if she hadn't been there, watching him.

"Alright," he said. He tidies his stuff. "What do you want?"

Alluka thought for a while. They had gone shopping just a few days before and the fridge was full of food, randomly bought because they had 'felt like it' – they certainly weren't low on choice. She walked out of the living room and into the kitchen. Opening the stuffed fridge, she searched for something that appealed to her.

"Curry?" she asked. Killua was behind her already.

"OK," he said. Out of the fridge she fished out some vegetables – onions, carrots, chicken – then brought out some curry cubes from the cupboard. An easy but well liked meal. She looked back in the fridge, thinking of adding some potatoes.

After all the thing they had brought, didn't they have chicken?

Apparently not.

"Brother, we don't have any potatoes," she said.

"We could buy some tomorrow," Killua said. Alluka shook her head.

"No, I'll go to the convenience store." It's just down the road and she knew she could be there and back within ten minutes. Killua looked worried. Near the beginning of their travels, Killua had been afraid to even let Alluka out of her sight, as though he was an overprotective mother hen. Although he was better now, there was always a part of him that insisted on protecting her.

"It'll be fine," Alluka said with force. Killua nodded hesitantly.

"Don't be long," he said.

* * *

The street was busy when she stepped outside. Alluka made her way quickly to the convenience store and brought what she needed. Within ten minutes she was already coming down the road, carrier bag in her hand.

Suddenly she paused. A prickle went down her neck and she turned around.

A man was standing in the street, his black eyes staring straight at her. He looked like a nice person, with a bunch of flowers in his hands and a worn apron over his shirt. Blond hair fell over his eyes. The most striking thing about him was his smile – like molten chocolate and hot milk blended into one. Under his gaze, Alluka felt herself relaxing.

"Hello," he said. His voice was reassuring. _Don't worry,_ it said. _Everything's going to be fine._

"Hi," Alluka replied.

"Do you go to Kunugigaoka Junior High School?" he asked, his smile never slipping.

"Yes," Alluka answered before she could stop herself. Killua had warned her about giving information to stranger. However, this felt like somebody she could trust.

"Oh, that's nice," the man said. "Does your brother go there too?"

"Yeah. He's in Class E," Alluka explained. The man nodded. It was just a casual nod, nothing serious. He was just somebody who was curious, making small talk.

"Well it was nice talking to you," he said.

"Bye!" Alluka said then bustled down the street towards the apartment.

It was only when Alluka was by the door when she realized the man shouldn't have known whether she had a brother.

She shook her head - it's not like she hid it, and there were plenty of places he could have found out from.

* * *

 _Another chapter finished! Thank you for reading. Reviews are really appreciated._

 _Guest: Thank you!_


	8. Returning Time

_New Chapter - in which a classmate returns._

* * *

 **Returning Time**

The next day, the students were _still_ talking about Takebayashi. Killua did not know what to think about the fascination, almost obsession that they had for each of their classmates. Did they not know when it was time to let go? If Takebayashi wanted to leave, then let him.

When Killua voiced these thoughts, he was met with only anger.

"He made the wrong decision!" Megu said. The rest of class radiated silent agreement.

It was only until Korosensei came up behind them and put one tentacle on Megu's shoulder did the class calm down.

"Don't worry," he said. "It will be fine. Takebayashi-kun is strong." It seemed to satisfy the class somewhat. Killua thought it was almost eerie how all the members of Class E were emotionally attached to their target. How were they supposed to kill someone they liked?

Illumi had always been against emotional attachments of any sorts. They got in the way when it mattered, a small hesitation but enough to kill. There had always been something clinical about Illumi's method of assassination.

 _(I'm not Illumi.)_

P.E, however, was surprisingly interesting. It seemed that the news of Killua's assassination techniques had travelled fast and now there were a few students looking at him as though the expected him to show them some amazing move.

Killua would have left them wondering but for one thing. He wanted to practice.

He had never stopped practicing _ten,_ and _ren_ every day but it had been a while since he had sparred with anyone. The sudden increase in exertion recently had left Killua's mind buzzing with excited energy. He needed somewhere to vent it off, or who knew what he would end up doing.

Karasuma noticed his tense stare and his stance became firmer, making it suddenly harder to find a fault.

Once it was Killua's go, Nagisa handed him a knife.

"You know the rules, right?" he asked.

"I just have to hit him once," Killua confirmed, taking the knife. Nagisa nodded.

Although Karasuma's stance had changed slightly, it wasn't by much. He was wary, but still confident and professional in his manner. Killua took one, slow step towards him, hands closed tightly around the soft knife. It was not his weapon of choice, and it felt oddly foreign in his hands; he could still use it though, using weapons of all types having been in his training.

Unmoving, Karasuma waited for Killua to make the first move. With one fluid movement, he kicked off of the ground, shooting towards Karasuma. Karasuma swerving to the side and the blade missed by inches.

Not even pausing, Killua turned for another strike.

This time the blow was deflected by strong push to the arm. Although it was the same move that Karasuma had been using on the students, it was still equally as effective. He was strong; maybe not as fast, but the years of training behind his precise actions were obvious.

They continued the exchange for a few more seconds, gradually gaining speed. Killua could feel the slight tension that hadn't been present before, when Karasuma had been fighting the students. He was deadly serious now.

 _(So he could have beaten all of them easily, even if he wasn't using nen.)_

Even though he was prohibited from using flashy nen techniques, that didn't mean Killua wasn't using it. But even then, Karasuma could keep up effortlessly. He had an impressive amount of aura and decades of experience meant his _ryu_ was far smoother, moving from limb to limb like water.

Another strike. This time Karasuma ducked out of the way.

There was a moments rest as they stopped moving, studying each other carefully.

"You've trained well," Karasuma commented. Killua did not answer. He was recalling something that had happened a long time ago, a plan forming in his face.

Tensing his muscles he jumped towards Karasuma. As the teacher once again, raised his arm to deflect the blow, Killua stopped.

The pause seemed to throw Karasuma off guard. Killua saw his face change. It must have only been a millisecond but Killua had taught himself to notice the expression so well it was impossible to miss.

It was a simple feint. Gon had used it in Heaven's Arena to land one blow on Hisoka. Back then, he had used the stone floor of the stage to his advantage too, but in this situation, there wasn't a huge power difference and Killua had the advantage of speed. He only needed one hit.

Killua ducked down. An instant later though, Karasuma was already reacting.

Too late.

The knife skimmed Karasuma's side, bending with the impact. Killua distinctively heard a collective gasp from the on looking class. Slowly, Karasuma stood up straight.

"I won," Killua said. His breathing had escalated more than he had thought.

"Good," he said. His face was emotionless. "Next."

"You're a sour loser."

The fight, of course, had been unfair for Karasuma. Unable to strike back whilst Killua only needed one hit to win. Killua wondered what would have happened if they fought it out one on one. It would be interesting, certainly.

Killua walked away. A few meters away, on a grassy ridge, he stopped. Turning back to the field he saw that Karasuma was battling the next pair. All the speed had gone from his moves and looking carefully, Killua could see he was using _zetsu._ A handicap for the students?

"That was brilliant!" a girl said from beside him. Killua glanced at her. What was her name? Kurahashi. The bright, bubbly ginger that was constantly positive, no matter what.

"Hmm," he said, before walking away. There was, however, a smile on his face.

Another huge smile adorned Korosensei's round face too; the octopus, presently watching the class from the edge of the field, was always smiling, though, so the expression didn't say much.

After the rest of the day ended rather uneventfully, a few members of the class came together and agreed to see Takebayashi for the second time. This time they would disguise themselves using the techniques they had learnt from Karasuma. They could use their skills to sneak into the school. Listening to their conversation was like listening to a group of kids playing spy games. Uninterested, Killua walked down the mountain.

As usual, Alluka was by the gate with her friends. Although he was happy to see her, Killua could not help but be conscious of the members of class E hidden behind the bushes, just visible in the corner of his eyes. He ignored it as well as possible and walked away.

"What is it," Alluka asked. Killua just shook his head.

* * *

The second assembly of the year commenced the day after that. Because Killua had missed the last one, this was the first assembly that he had ever attended. It was stiflingly organized; students stood in neat rows in the large hall, facing the stage at the front.

Killua, having been forced to wear something vaguely representing a school uniform (hastily brought by Alluka), was not in the best mood. In all honestly, he would rather have just skipped something as tedious as this, but Alluka had insisted and Killua couldn't say no to Alluka. The assembly notice had come to him in the morning by Korosensei, who had apparently wanted to avoid having to make his students walk all the way up the mountain and back.

Talking of Korosensei, for some reason, he was lying on the ceiling beams. The presence was incredibly distracting. He felt the itch on the back of his neck but didn't quite dare look up. He stood as still as possible.

Killua was aware of the confusion around him – the notice had been quite sudden and nobody knew quite what was going on.

Suddenly a very familiar face walked onto the stage. A flicker of surprise went through Killua as he saw the lanky boy – Takebayashi. It was nothing compared to the shock of his classmates. It radiated off of them in waves; along with trepidation.

The intent on Takebayashi's face was not something one could miss. He seemed like a different person to the boy he had been before – stronger, defiant, something burning in his eyes behind the thick lenses.

"Class E is made up of weak people," he started. Killua scoffed.

 _(You could hardly call them weak.)_

Nobody seemed to hear him and Takebayashi continued.

"They are always looked down on by the people of the main school because of their low grades…" Takebayashi said.

"But you know what? It's almost as comfortable as a maid café."

The silence was pin-dropping.

"I was weak, so I lied. But even then, my classmates came to check on me again and again," Takebayashi continued. He sent a small grin to the Class E line at the end of the hall, whose wide eyes stared back. He returned his gaze to the main school students.

"I admire you lot. You have things to aspire to. But… I wish to stay for a little longer in Class E." From under his prompt sheet he got out an object – a glass plaque with neat golden writing on the front. A gasp of shock was heard from back stage. Leaning to the side, Killua saw the glimpse of a blond boy, staring at Takebayashi was horror written on his face.

Takebayashi slipped his hand into his jacked. When he pulled it out, there was a wooden sword grasped in his hand. Then, with one swift movement, he brought it down. The blond boy ran out, frozen horror written on his face. Too late.

The glass shattered at impact. It split into a hundred shards, spreading outwards before falling.

"I guess that means I will return to Class E," Takebayashi said, a smile on his face. He walked off the stage.

Killua couldn't help it. He felt a brief flare of respect, although he did not understand why. Around him, the same emotion (although amplified greatly) is reflected on the faces of his classmates.

For the long trek up the mountain, Killua could not help but notice that the atmosphere of the class had changed. It was lighter, less oppressive and Killua found himself wondering how he could have missed the distress that Takebayashi leaving had brought. A few of the class were talking with Takebayashi. The lanky boy blushed at the attention but actively contributed to the conversation. Others shot him the occasional smile.

 _Welcome back,_ the whole class seemed to be simultaneously saying.

It was not the first time Killua had felt oddly detached from the rest of the class. They were so close knit, it was like trying to find a hole to snuggle in a concrete bunker.

Korosensei was with them, his trademark grin adorning his face. He turned to Takebayashi.

"We'll be starting the lesson as soon as possible. I assume you've brought the right notes?" he asked.

Takebayashi nodded.

"Of course," he said.

* * *

 _Thank you for reading and reviewing!_

 _Guest: Thank you!_


	9. Trap Time

_10th Chapter. Please read and review!_

* * *

 **Trap Time**

English. It was… interesting.

The teacher was called Bitch-sensei. Killua supposed that should have been an indication of what sort of lesson would follow. But still, he hadn't been expecting it to be quite so… bitchy.

Irina Jelavic was a striking woman, to say the least. Not just her tight clothes vaguely resembling that of a school teacher or the somewhat outrageous behaviour (did she have to choose such… weird… phrases for the students to learn?), but the aura surrounding her.

Aura? It didn't seem like the right word.

Atmosphere. Feeling.

Everything about her demanded attention, sucking it in like a vacuum. She taught with a forcefully energy, squeezing the information down to simple points and wrapping them in parcels for the students to absorb.

According to Nagisa, she was an assassin too. Killua couldn't see it. What was it that made assassins into teachers? To mould students into hitmen? Maybe it was the people skills. Bitch-sensei was weaker than what Gon had been back in the Hunter Exam. Infiltration must be her key advantage, and with it, people skills. Killua couldn't help but laugh internally at trying to put Bitch-sensei and Illumi in the same category.

Killua could shake out the feeling that Korosensei was somehow similar. He wasn't an assassin though, was he?

"Killua-kun, can you repeat what I just said?"

 _(Oh, damn.)_

Whilst Killua had dosed off, Bitch-sensei had managed to come up to his desk. Pale palms down on the wood in front of him and chest thrust forward, she stared at him expectantly.

Face calm, Killua twisted his head to look at the board. There was a sentence written there, in neat, loopy writing. A breath of relief escaped him. He knew English as well as he knew the Hunter language; they were universal and popular, after all, and therefore something he had learnt early in his training.

" _I want you to know, you are the most perfect person in the world_ ," he read. Bitch-sensei gave a grin. It was quite a scary grin, full of manic delight. Killua was painfully reminded of Bisky when she found an excuse to punch him to the horizon.

"Brilliant reading, but unfortunately, not what I asked," Bitch-sensei said. Killua opened his mouth to retort.

She winked. The move was so out of place, so casual, Killua dropped his guard.

The next moment, a kiss is being shoved firmly onto his lips.

Killua couldn't really think properly. He could breath. He didn't know what he was doing. Instinct guided him, and he did the first thing that came to his mind – fall backwards. By kicking off the floor, the chair tipped backwards. The pressure on his lips disappeared and Killua ended up sprawled on an upturned chair, arms on his lips as though trying to wipe away whatever was there, staring with bemusement at Bitch-sensei.

 _What the hell!_

A faint ringing sound could be heard in his ears. Gradually, the sound changed to laughter as the class erupted. Killua was more than aware that he was now the centre of attention. The grins bore into his back.

"First kiss?" Karma asked from the back of the class. A blush spread across Killua's face.

"None of your business." Killua tried to sound like he didn't care, but the voice came out high pitched and wrong. He must be the only student to have reacted quite so dramatically.

He had been kissed. _Kissed_!

 _("Have you been on a date before?" Those brown eyes staring at him as he lifted the weight easily. "Yes." The shock, the bafflement. He was so grown up, and he hadn't even noticed… he felt like he was being left behind. "What about Killua?" "Of course not.")_

"Are you ok?" a voice said.

"I'm fine," Killua replied. He picked up his chair, sat on it.

The class had settled somewhat and the scene now over, Bitch-sensei continued to teach. However a few sniggers were still sent his way and Killua tried to ignore them as much as possible. He looked solidly ahead, at the board, resisting the blush still residing on his cheeks.

Bitch-sensei. Killua now knew what they meant. And he had certainly learnt his lesson. Killua made sure to listen for the rest of the lesson.

* * *

With the return of Takebayashi, the members of Class E once again fell in their old routine. That is, coming up with assassination plans at break times. Once Korosensei had left, the class gathered around a few desks pushed together.

"So, any ideas?" Megu Kataoka, the tall girl in the centre of the group, asked.

"How about we make a trap out of bras?" Most members of the class paled (some radiating fury and disgust) and turned to the caller, a boy with black hair smiling widely. He took on the stares unflinchingly.

"You know, it could work. You know what he's like," said another boy. Killua winced. Seriously? As though seeing the confusion on his face, the girl standing next to him hastily explained.

"It's one of Korosensei's weaknesses. He's such a pervert," she said with scowl, although her attitude seemed to be quite carefree. Killua studied the girl – the mint green pigtails perched on the top of her head were distinctive, not dissimilar to Nagisa's blue in style.

"Oh, really?" he said.

"Especially if it involves Bitch-sensei," another student joked. Bitch-sensei – the nickname of the resident foreign languages teacher, given to her by the students. Another assassin, apparently. Killua really couldn't see how.

"Let's think seriously," Kataoka said with a sigh.

"I am being serious. We need to take advantage of Korosensei's weaknesses," the boy said. For all his _seriousness_ there was a cheeky grin slapped across his face.

"Okajima has a point," another boy mentioned, a devious grin on his face. So _that_ was his name, the class pervert.

 _(You'd have thought it was Leorio, going by the way he acts.)_

"But just… that… isn't going to work," Kataoka said, stuttering over what pronoun to use. "We need something different." Across the table, Nagisa jumped upwards, his arms uncrossing slightly as though he had been struck with an idea.

"Electricity!" he said. Karma glanced at Nagisa, then to Killua.

"Oh yes," he said with a small smirk. The class regarded all three with curiosity. With all that had been going on, it was apparent that neither Nagisa nor Karma had managed to inform the class of that particular incident.

"What is it?"

"Killua tried to assassinate Korosensei the day before yesterday," Nagisa explained.

"How did it go?" the girl with green pigtails asked, tipping her head slightly to one side in curiosity. Killua shrugged.

There was amusement in some of the other student's looks – evidently the last 'incident' hadn't been forgotten and they were struggling to take him seriously.

"He was brilliant! He was so close, but Korosensei shed his skin last minute," Nagisa explained. Suddenly, the atmosphere changed. Those who had been only half listening leaned in, capturing every word.

"You mean he's already shed this skin?" somebody said. "That's one defence down."

"You said electricity? So it worked?" another asked.

"Yes," Nagisa said. "He froze; it was just for a second but he did. If he hadn't shed his skin, Killua would have got him." The attention shifted to Killua. It was similar to what Nagisa and Karma had given him two days before – admiration, delight…. Comradeship.

"Where did you get a stun gun from?" Terasaka asked. He was a tall, burly boy, with the hair on the side of his head dyed blond. There was a scowl on his face and, just like Killua, he stood near the back of the class, a little separate from the group. An emitter, if he ever saw one.

"Who knows?" Killua replied with a cat-like grin. Sensing the fight in his tone, Terasaka glared at him. Killua held his stare.

"Well, we can use that," Kataoka said loudly, breaking up the staring contest. Killua nodded. He had a stun gun back at the apartment, which he used if he needed to charge up quickly. It didn't create quite the same effect as he had done for Korosensei, but it would be similar enough.

"So electricity."

"What about we trick Korosensei in to touching something, and shock him?" Nakamura suggested. A girl with long blond hair, let loose over her shoulders.

"Sweets. He loves it," Kayano said with a small smile. "I was thinking of something similar actually." At the word sweets, Killua perked up. He loved sweets.

"Maybe a bowl of sweets, a sort of trap at the bottom?" Nakamura said.

"We'll need to disguise it though. Make it realistic."

"That'll be my job," a boy with silver hair said (Sugaya?), getting a paintbrush from his trouser pocket. Killua wondered whether he always had one in his pocket.

The air was electric, ironically. Ideas that flickered through the air, knitting together into a plan. They all understood each other – their strengths and weaknesses – and knew how to use it to their advantage. There was something slacking about it though. No, not slacking. More... lack of seriousness, as though their lives didn't rely on it (it didn't). As though they knew that there would always be a second chance.

 _(In the real world, a second chance wouldn't exist.)_

"We have a party, a celebration for Takebayashi coming back."

"And then, we can offer him a bowl of sweets with a stun gun at the bottom."

"Have snipers positioned around him too, to make him disorientated."

"Then the final shot is to kill."

"The final shot should be you Takebayashi." It was so different to the assassination that Killua had grown up knowing. His was done alone and quickly, utilising little more than brute force. However he had learnt how to use intricate plans too, as part of his training, and in his eyes the holes within the fabric of the plan were becoming clearer.

"No," he said. Whether it was intentional he did not. But with the single world, a small burst emitted from his bloodlust. An old habit, one that he had learnt even before nen.

The reaction of the class was instant. Suddenly, the attention was centred on Killua. For an untrained eye, it would have been a subtle, almost unnoticeable difference, but for Killua it was as obvious as daylight. It was eerie, how well a trained person could control the emotions of those unprepared. Killua had been under the influence of Illumi's aura for a long while, and the thought he could do the same thing quite as easily left stray chills flowing down his back.

It was too late to pull back now.

"Electricity stops him, but only for an instant. If you don't want him to pull anything off..." Killua stopped, looked at straight ahead. In front of him, Nagisa returned the stare, straight into his eye. "You need someone fast."

"And you think that's you?" Karma asked. His tone was mocking but wary – he had seen what Killua could do but that wasn't going to stop him being his usual critical self.

"Yes," Killua said simply.

"How do we know you aren't going to try something stupid? We've seen plenty of assassins before."

"Yeah," another boy joined in. "We're the one who knows his weaknesses best."

Karma looked to Nagisa. The entire class looked at Nagisa. At the centre of attention, Nagisa simply looked uncomfortable. The class trusted his judgement, but it seemed he was unsure of his own.

"I think he's good…" Nagisa said. Killua shot him a (hopefully) supportive smile.

"Fine…" Kataoka said, finally.

Nagisa's opinion wasn't the only factor in this decision: they had seen Killua fight with Karasuma and knew he wasn't bluffing, or so Killua liked to think.

Glancing at the clock Killua saw it was almost time for the lesson to start. The tables and chairs were put back in their original place – rows and rows of square desks – and the class dispersed. Killua didn't know whether the class was satisfied with his contribution, but he sure wasn't going to fail. He could do this, if he played it right.

Then he could buy Alluka a _really_ good present with the bounty money.

* * *

 _Thank you for reading! Thank you to everyone who reviewed and please leave any feedback you have._

 _Guest, guest: Thank you!_

 _Puppet: ikr! Thank you for your review. I'll try to update as often as possible_


	10. Plan Time

_Chapter 10 - In which plans are formed_

* * *

 **Plan Time**

Alluka was happy.

It was quite a common occurrence. There were plenty of things to be happy about - new clothes, the beach, her brother patting her head. Killua was happier now. He didn't show it very much, in fact Alluka doubted he himself knew, but he was. He was more focused, his mood brighter.

Alluka was also worried.

This one used to be quite a rare occurrence but more and more now was the feeling creeping up on her; the little butterflies in her stomach, the black shadow in her mind. However hard she tried, she couldn't shake off the feeling.

Alluka wasn't quite sure what to do.

"Are you OK?"

A voice jolted her out of her musings, and Alluka looked up to see her friend, Aili, looking down at her from where she was standing next to Alluka's desk. There were two lines in-between her eyebrows, where her skin was scrunched up from frowning.

"Yeah," Alluka replied, a smile already forming on her face. "Of course. What about you?"

"I'm good," Aili said. The tall girl glanced at her desk. There, as usual, a pile of notes were waiting to be studied all over again, in preparation for the next lesson. Aili worked so hard, so constantly, and coming into this term, the stress was really showing.

Although, it seemed it was Alluka who was the unusual one. Whilst Alluka had been relaxing for the summer holidays, most of her friends were studying.

" _You don't want to get sent to Class E_."

The same mantra, constantly.

Alluka didn't really care. She did her best, of course, but her slipping grades and the fact she was near the bottom of the class just didn't really bother her. What was the worst they could do? Class E? Class E was quite nice, and they seemed to look out for each other. Or maybe expel her? But then again, Brother could enrol her to a different school quite easily.

She would miss her friends though.

"Well I need to study, so…" Aili said, apologetically. Alluka nodded.

"That's alright."

There was more she needed to do. There had to be something, surely, nestled in her mind.

A single image came to her, faint and wispy at the edges but clear enough. Killua's birthday, when Alluka had given him his birthday present. The picture of Gon had been one sent over mail, printed out in the local library and framed in a local shop. Alluka tried hard to recall her brother's face - the odd cloud of darkness that had passed across his face and the sad smile on his lips.

Alluka had an idea.

"Aili?" Alluka called. Aili looked up from her desk where she was seated.

"Hmm?"

"Can I borrow your phone?" She wanted to keep it a secret, a surprise. Killua would be so happy. If she used Aili's phone, then he would have no way of knowing.

"What for?" Aili said.

"I want to call someone," Alluka replied simply. "It's overseas, but I promise I'll be quick."

Aili looked at her for a second, her face thoughtful.

"OK," she said after a while. She handed her the phone, a flat screened touch pad with a pink case.

"Thanks!" Alluka said.

She took the phone and headed outside. The number was a familiar one and her fingers flew over the numbers effortlessly. They had used it often back then, when they had just started their adventure around the world but over time they had stopped doing so. It was for a number of reasons – they had been busy, flying around the world, and Killua had been subtly against it.

She pressed the phone to her ear. She waited patiently, counting the rings as she did so.

1…

2…

3…

…

7…

There was a buzz as somebody picked up on the other side.

"Hello," a voice said. It was feminine and warm, like milk and honey. They must have been doing something active, because it was a little out of breath. Alluka smiled.

"Hello. Mito- _san._ It's me, Alluka," she said.

"How can I help," the other person replied. Alluka bit her lips. Should she do this? She had been so sure a few minutes ago but now doubt clogged her mind. How would Killua react?

She took a deep breath. This would help him. It had to. Resolve steadied, she continued with what she wanted to say.

"Can you pass over to Gon Freecss?" she said.

* * *

Once the original idea had been settled, it was time to adapt it. The process was an interesting one to watch, certainly. The students worked before school, at free times and after school when Korosensei couldn't peak at their plans. Watching them, Killua thought he had started getting to know them better. He could certainly recall their names now.

The bowl of sweets was scrapped and replaced with something bigger. Getting unlimited resources from the government meant that these students could dream as big as they wanted.

Killua, who had put himself forward as a candidate for the final blow was suddenly found in a bright spotlight. They wanted to test his abilities, and he could feel the gaze of the class on him constantly, a nagging sensation at the back of his mind. Even though they were only a bunch of school kids, it was still incredibly unnerving.

One slip and they would choose someone else. His chance to show what he could do was now and if he didn't use it, getting to be a part of the class would be very difficult.

 _(Not that he intended to stay. Kill Korosensei and leave – that was his objective.)_

Through Karasuma, they had the resources of the Japanese military at their disposal, and the first thing they did was rent out a small hall for the day. In it, preparations were being made. The plan had grown quite substantially from the initial idea.

Having had a look at the hall which they would be working in – a cavernous underground space – Killua was already calculating ideas.

At break time he started working on his final plan, studying his draft work and copying it up on a large sheet of paper. He worked quickly with his pencil in hand, a ruler held in his other. Another two tools that he was unfamiliar with. Illumi had always been against putting down plans on paper, instead insisting Killua memorise every detail. So many ways it could get stolen and compromise the situation.

There was a click and a swoosh as the door opened on the other side of the classroom. Killua felt the presence of someone entering the room. A student.

"Are you ok?"

Killua looked up from what he was working on. Kayano stood there, an easy going smile on her face.

"Yeah," Killua replied. Kayano looked at the paper on Killua's desk curiously.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Plans," Killua answered. He showed her the diagram; a blob in the middle, with ruler lines and curves crisscrossing all around it. Kayano studied it carefully. Killua noted her eyes – darting around the page with frightening efficiency.

"Did Kataoka tell you too?"

"No, but I thought I would anyway."

"Isn't this the same technique they used in summer camp… Did you look in Nagisa's notebook?" Kayano said. The notebooks with all those weaknesses written down? Of course he had. It wouldn't be like him to not use such a valuable resource.

"It's a good idea," Killua said simply. "I adapted it to fit the plan."

Killua internally gave a sly grin as he said so. Korosensei wouldn't be expecting this.

The only problem was efficiency. The class would have to act perfectly if this were all to work out; there was no guarantee this would work.

 _(They failed last time, didn't they?)_

Killua wondered what he would do if this attempt failed. He could simply try again, as the class had always done. Throwing himself pointlessly at a wall in hope he would hit a crack, a fatal weakness. There was always Nanika, but Killua would rather not use her powers. Sure, it was a pretty grave situation, but plenty of these had past and gone. If he started using her power for every disaster…

No, he would avoid that for as long as possible.

"You should use the class' strengths too," Kayano said softly. She shrugged. "It's just a suggestion."

Typical of the class. Insisting an emphasising team-work. Killua had to admit, the green haired girl had a point.

"I can help if you want," Kayano said. There was a small, helpful smile below her wide eyes.

"I'll ask them later," Killua said, folding up the piece of paper. Kayano blinked. There was a brief pause before she answered.

"OK."

* * *

Later turned out to be Lunchtime. In the remaining warmth of the summer sun, a group of class E members, sat around talking. Killua mentally ticked off a list in his head: Kataoka, a natural, charismatic leader along with Isogai; Kurahashi, the optimist; next to them Okano…

A few others were playing games on the grassy field to the right. Then

Karma was missing. Takahashi too. The two rebellious members of the class were rarely where everyone else was.

Kurahashi noticed Killua first as he approached the group. Her bright green hair eyes brightened.

"Hi Killua!" she said. The other members of the group sitting there turned.

"Hi," Killua replied.

"Hello," Kataoka said blankly.

"About the plan," Kurahashi started eagerly. "-we've been thinking about it and done some more planning."

"I have a plan too," Killua said. A few more members who were sitting there turned around, curious. Killua got out the slip of paper from where it was neatly folded in the pocket of his school uniform. He handed it to the group and watched the reaction as they read it.

"Who's doing what?" Kurahashi asked, a small frown on her face. Killua shrugged.

"I was thinking you can decide among yourselves," he said. To be honest, he hadn't really been thinking about people when he drew up the plans, only the trajectory of the bullets. "You know the class better than I do," he added. Apparently satisfied with the answer, they focused their attention onto the plan.

Other members of the class had gravitated towards them and they bent low over the paper.

"The idea is good," Kataoka said. "He would think we were reusing and old trick…"

"And so would be even more surprised at the twist!" a boy finished. Black hair, brown eyes. Sugino.

The group had descended into a small huddle of whispers. Okano swept her brown fringe out of her eyes and got out a pencil from her pocket.

Killua stayed with the group for the rest of Lunch, looking over their progress. Grudged, he admitted they were far more familiar with the class (although this probably should have been obvious from the start) and found it would be better to leave them to it.

A rustle to his left informed him that someone had arrived on the scene. Familiar bright red revealed the identity of the newcomer, and mischievous eyes locked onto Killua's own blue ones.

"So you finally decided to be less headstrong," he whispered in Killua's ear. Killua shrugged.

"Teamwork is a valuable advantage," he said, recalling Korosensei's words. He had to admit, the octopus shaped teacher was kind of right.

From the next day, preparations began almost instantly. They split themselves into two groups – those who would gather the necessary equipment to set the trap and those who would plan the main attack. Everyone would be part of the main attack. The more the merrier, after all.

They told Korosensei of the coming party a week later. The teacher regarded the idea with delight.

"Of course," he said. "It sounds like a brilliant idea. What about after school? But remember, this won't be an excuse to slack off work." The members of the class shot each other gleeful grins.

"Great!" The mission had officially started.

When Killua returned home that day, Alluka was in a strangely upbeat mood. She was still being her usual secretive and Killua had long given up trying to beg information off of her. He did what he could to keep himself occupied. He played games on the laptop. He sat and did a few pieces of homework with Alluka. He was running low on chocolate so he visited the store and refreshed his stock.

He had not predicted how much of his free time school would carve away. It left him feeling somewhat constricted with time, even though he could afford to go without sleep for a few days to do what he wanted. The evening passed quickly in to night, and before he knew it, it was morning.

* * *

 _Thank you for reading! Please leave a review!_

 _Guest: Thank you!_


	11. Time to Go

_Finally getting into some action:3 In which an assassination plan is carried out._

* * *

 **Time to Go**

The lobby of the airport was a large hall tiled white with shops all around. He walked across it with a suitcase in hand, studying the vicinity with his sharp brown eyes. The suitcase that he was dragging behind him was a small one, with only a few sets of spare clothes and other personal items. However even that small load was far more than he was used to carrying though - usually he was with just a rucksack.

 _(Was it important to stay on the left side of the escalator?)_

He study the airport with fascination, taking in the bright burst of life all around. There was people everywhere, far more than he was used to. Everything around him was so colourful and bold, jumping out at him, but at the same time everyone seemed to looked the same. Black hair, brown eyes - like his own. He recalled someone talking about Japan before but this was not how he imagined it. No ninjas.

So this is where Killua was living.

He was at the other side of the airport now, in front of the automatic doors that separated him from the outside world. They slid open.

There was a big grin on his face.

It had been a while since he saw his best friend.

Gon Freecss stepped out of the airport.

* * *

With a click, the final magazine was put in place on the BB gun.

"Ready?" The question struck through the tension of the air. A few people nodded. Those who didn't had their eyes fixed forward, as sharp and focused as a vulture. It was now or never.

The scene was a set. A large, borrowed hall, a few hundred metres under a hotel was set out with a scatter of wooden tables and chairs. White table clothes were set out with metal forks and knives, complete with folded napkins. An expensive endeavour, but hopefully a fruitful one.

Most the carefully preparation was, however, was unseen.

The floor? Fake.

The ceiling? Lined with anti-Korosensei panelling.

Even the walls were a part of their plan, full of extra nooks and crannies for the snipers set there, those who were marked off as 'ill'.

It was all orchestrated to perfection.

Killua stood a little apart from the group in the corner, who were going through the final preparations, head whirling. It was a bad habit, one ingrained into him from a young age – he kept seeing the worst case scenarios in his mind's eye, and they twisted his gut with nervousness. It was distracting.

A soft tune suddenly sounded across the group. It was not loud, but obvious among the silent air of the hall. Kataoka fished a smart phone from her pocket and swiped the screen. She pressed the flat object to her ear. Even though he was a few metres away, Killua's ears (sharpened by focused aura) picked up every word.

"Hello?" Kataoka asked. The class was watching, carefully.

"Kataoka? We're heading over with Korosensei now," the voice on the other end, a feminine, airy one, said.

So everything was going to plan, Killua assumed.

The class had split into to two groups, one that set everything up whilst the other distracted Korosensei. Of course Korosensei had figured out it was a trap by now – why else would they suddenly hold a party – but the pretence was still held. It was to feed uncertainty to his mind, keep him guessing right to the end.

It was Karma's idea.

"Good," Kataoka said. "We'll be ready soon."

"OK."

Kataoka brought the phone down from her ear and pressed the 'end call' button. Members of the class looked at her expectantly, as not all of them had heard the conversation.

"We're going by the plan," Kataoko announced. A sigh of relief swept across the hall. It was only the beginning stage, but it was something at least.

The group dispersed, a few making their way to the outskirts of the hall where they sat and talked, others choosing a table and sitting down. One of two gravitated towards the centre of the room where a line of tables had been set up with a line of sweet treats on them. There was a plate piled with candy, another with a big sponge cake and one on the end with _chocolate_.

Mouth watering slightly, Killua made his way over there. Glancing at the clock, Killua saw they had just over five minutes until the second group, along with their target were due to arrive. Plenty of time to relax.

His rubber boots made a soft thud each time he took a step. Underneath the floor was shiny copper – not just unusual but expensive too.

Killua ate a piece of chocolate, chewing thoughtfully. He glanced at the middle of the table where a large place had been placed. On it was a large crème caramel, edges glistening with sweet syrup. It was quite an impressive monument, almost a foot across and just as tall, wobbling but stable.

"Do you like it?"

Sucking in a sudden breath, Killua turned.

There, standing with a small smile on her lips was a familiar girl with green pigtails – Kayano. Killua eyed her wearily but she only gave him a look of blank curiosity. He let out a small sigh.

"Is everything going to plan?" she asked.

"Yep," he said, with a small nod. He must have been distracted by the chocolate in front of him. It did taste _very_ nice.

He glanced back to the crème caramel. It was an impressive size, far bigger than anything Killua had seen before and he found a grin working his way to face with the anticipation of eating it.

"You made this didn't you?" Killua said. Kayano looked a little embarrassed, a small blush forming on her cheeks.

"Oh it's nothing. It was going to be a lot bigger, for a different assassination attempt, but your idea is good," she said.

Killua looked away, already disinterested.

* * *

Three minutes had passed.

It was time to get ready.

Looking at the room, Killua was satisfied to see that everyone else was also on the same train of thought, already where they were meant to be.

He took a seat a few tables away. From the other side of the hall, there was a quiet chime. Killua didn't even need to glance that way to know that the numbers displayed on the top of the elevator were coming steadily down. With a ting and a swoosh, it opened, revealing the small crowd inside.

"Oh, lots of people are already here!" Kurahashi, who was at the head of the group said.

"Is everyone here?" Korosensei, behind her and in the middle of the group standing in the large elevator asked.

"Of course," Kurahashi said, swinging an anti-korosensei blade at the teachers head as she did. He dodged it with ease.

They stepped out of the lift, dispersing as they entered the hall. Killua noted how Korosensei, similar to how Killua had done, went straight for the sweet treats near the middle.

Killua turned away as the group drew close, staring at the wall on the opposite way. Although he couldn't see, he could hear and sense well enough to know that Korosensei had eaten five of the brownies on the first plate.

"Don't eat too much!" Kurahashi's voice rang out. "It's Takebayashi's party, remember."

"Nurufufufu. There's more than another to go round," Korosensei said with authority but Killua noted a hint of… disappointment? Killua let a soft smirk slip onto his lips. Even the octopus teacher was childlike at times.

A soft chime echoed across the hall. Looking round, Killua saw that Isogai, one of the class reps come onto the stage set up at the front. He set the piece of paper he had been holding in his hand onto the stand in front of him.

"Er, so," he started into the microphone. His voice reverberated across the hall from hidden speakers. "Hello class."

He wore black boots with his shirt and jeans. The same black boots as everyone. Killua wondered if Korosensei had noticed that small detail.

"This is a celebration to mark the return of a valued classmate back to Class E!" Isogai gestured to his left where Takebayashi was standing a little off the stage.

Nearly there.

Killua forced himself to relax, watching the stage with everyone else. Behind him, he sensed the movement of students as they slipped into position. His mind was buzzing.

Takebayashi walked onto the stage, adjusting his glasses. There was a small smile on his face.

Isogai's eyes trailed onto where Korosensei was sitting, watching the stage intently. Under his notes, Killua saw the matt white plastic, disguised with paint to match the white paper. Isogai's thumb was on the button. Just in case anything of suspicion happened, they were ready to act at any time.

5…

Takebayashi had reached where Isogai was standing. He took the sheet of paper from Isogai and the microphone too, with it the plastic button was slipped to him. He glanced downwards, to the notes then back at the class scattered around the hall.

"I'm glad to be back in Class E…" he said into the microphone.

4…

"… From my heart, I am happy that you have hosted this celebration for me."

3…

"Korosensei. You have taught me a lot of things..." Takebayashi shifted his weight onto one foot. Killua tensed, clenching his hands into tight fists.

2…

"And so to you, I give something special," he finished.

1…

Killua stood up. Around him everyone did the same, each raising a bb gun and turning to the centre of the hall where Korosensei was. Korosensei, stood hurriedly, ready to dodge the oncoming hail of bullets. That instant reaction would make him unprepared for what would come next.

0…

Takebayashi pressed the button.

The world erupted white.

Electricity surged around them, crackling across the copper floor underneath their feet. Their rubber shoes protected them and for health and safety reasons the voltage had been lowered to non-lethal levels. That did not mean, however, Korosensei would remain unscathed. That was, at least, the plan.

The world was going so slowly, as though he was stuck in a world full of cotton. So much time to think. So little time to move.

Bullets were flying, towards Korosensei. Each shape seemed to stretch with the speed it was moving at.

Killua didn't need the electricity from underneath him. He had charged up to full potential that morning and his nerves were crackling with energy. He didn't need to worry about the other students spotting him – the crackling white light all around them would disguise it anyway.

 _Godspeed._

 _Shippujinrai._

He wasn't even thinking as the scene stretched to a blur and the muscles in his hands tensed. He was as fast as the moving bullets, no faster... He saw Korosensei's face frozen in shock.

As he reached Korosensei, he pulled his hand back, a knife already there, aiming for Korosensei's tie. According to Itona, his heart would be there. He slashed, felt the material stab through the fabric with stratifying ease. At this speed, even a rubber knife would be deadly to humans.

Without stopping he landed on the other side of the hall.

His breathing was heavy, his muscles ached. They would be stiff the next morning, Killua knew. That's what happened when you overexerted yourself.

Something was wrong. His hand ached. Looking down, he could see a long red mark across his fingers, just below the nails that were stretched into claws. He had hit something hard.

Turning round, Killua studied what damage had been caused. Korosensei was lying on the floor in a puddle of blood, hunched over like an old man. A few tentacles had been blown off altogether by the hail of bullets, and one clutched his chest weakly. For some reason, Killua hadn't managed to finish him off. Killua was intent on knowing why but now they had one chance left to redeem this. The target was still weak but he wouldn't be for long.

 _(Backup plan)_

The second round of gunshots fired. If Killua failed then the next thing that would happen would be the next hail of bullets that came like a wall towards Korosensei's weakened form. If this didn't finish him off, Killua was out of options.

Just as the shots fired, a blinding flash of light stopped them in their tracks. Killua winced and put an arm over his eyes to shield them. There was a few seconds of silence.

When the spots over his eyes had cleared enough for Killua to get a general view of the situation, he took the time to study the vicinity carefully. The area of floor where floor where Korosensei's yellow shape had been was empty; other than the pool of dark blood that remained there, there was no indication that the octopus shaped teacher had ever been there.

 _(What?)_

His eyes trailed upwards. Somewhere at the back of his mind, he recalled his brother telling him that up was the place people rarely looked, the obvious hiding place – to be used to one's advantage but also to be cautious of.

Suddenly he spotted something yellow on the corner of his eyes and he immediately homed in on it.

Korosesei – hanging off the corner of the ceiling, a small smile on his face. Other than the trickle of blood down his mouth and the gaping hole in his usually immaculate clothes, he seemed to be perfectly ordinary.

"There!" a voice rang out. Nagisa.

There was a little ruffle as everyone pointed their gun at their target. Korosensei's smile widened as he jumped down from his place in the ceiling and landed neatly in the middle of the room.

"Well done Killua. You successfully managed to penetrate my heart. Unfortunately, you only grazed it," Korosensei said, his breathing ragged. "I'm recovering quickly." He put up a newly formed tentacle in demonstration. His facial expression turned into a striped green and yellow. He turned to Killua and in the time it took for him to blink, Korosensei was in front of him.

"The plan was well thought out but you made one small misjudgement," Korosensei explained. "I was expecting you."

Smirking, Korosensei reached into his shirt and pulled out an anti-korosensei knife, carefully wrapped in fabric so that it would not harm him. So that was what Killua's hand had hit – if it had been placed before hand between his tie and his shirt, it would form a barrier that would lessen the impact of the blow. Korosensei hadn't remained unscathed, but he wasn't dead either.

There was that usual grin in Korosensei's face. Before Killua could say a word of complaint, he got out a hair brush and brushed down his usually puffy hair.

"What the heck?" Killua shouted and stabbed the air where Kororsensei had been, part of him knowing there was no chance.

"Nurufufufu," Kororsensei laughed. "You can't escape my cleaning. And now, shall we continue with our party?"

* * *

 _Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you can._

 _Guest: really?_


	12. Arrival Time

_Gon is here! Finally!_

* * *

 **Arrival Time**

Killua was still munching on a piece of chocolate as the elevator went up. There was a frown on his face as he stared at the door opposite him, watching the numbers go up one by one. He was annoyed; of course at Korosensei but mostly at his own incompetence. Where had he gone wrong? Did he let something in his demeanour give it away? Could he have been less obvious?

He sighed. Perhaps he was thinking about this too deeply. He had a whole year ahead of him, after all.

With a soft ding, the elevator informed him he had reached ground level. Killua was alone in the elevator, having stayed to help clear up and used the excuse of needing the toilet to remain behind for a little while. He wasn't really in the mood to talk and long elevator trips were too awkward. The door slid open and Killua stepped outside.

"Killua!"

The high pitched sound rang in Killua's ears. For a moment Killua thought he had slipped into a dream, because there was no way that this could be happening. He recognised the voice, (of course he did; how could he forget?) but _he_ couldn't be here…

He turned his head to the side. The light from a tall window was in his eye and after the murky darkness of underground the brightness was a little overwhelming. Black hair, brown eyes, bright green clothes. He was waving a large, exaggerated wave, one hand flying in the air whilst the other clutched the strap of his bag. He was smiling. The same smile.

There was a word in Killua's mouth. It took a cough for him to get it out.

"Gon…"

"Killua!" Gon repeated, again.

Maybe he expected something more to happen. He wasn't entirely sure what. Nothing did. Not really. Confused at the lack of reply Gon stood and stared, the smile plastered still on his face.

Killua's eyes had adjusted to the light and everything returned to its normal hue. He blinked.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. The words sounded far harsher than he had intended to his ears. Looking behind Gon, he saw a grinning Kataoka, Karma with a camera (why?) and…

Alluka.

 _(Was this her doing?)_

The elder brother locked his glare on the younger child. She shrunk back under his intense gaze, guilt passing across her eyes. Immediately, Killua regretted the action. He hadn't wanted to make Alluka feel bad.

"Alluka called," Gon said cheerfully, making Killua snap his attention back to him. "I thought I might visit."

"Oh…"

The answer was pathetic, but Killua couldn't think of anything else.

The grin on the Gon's face was still big and genuine, as he blinked a few times with wide eyes. Killua wondered whether the other boy pretended to be complete oblivious for the sake of avoiding complicated conversations or really just insensitive.

 _(It's over. You walked away, remember?)_

Killua was still trying to collect his swirling thoughts and think of a rational reaction. Killua supposed Gon would expect him to continue from where they had ended – friends, best friends, who supported one another. At that thought, Killua's jaws clenched ever so slightly. Wasn't that the problem with their friendship? Gon didn't care about hurting himself for his own wild goals and expected Killua, the ultimate friend, to follow suit like nothing had happened.

Finally, Killua settled with apathy. He shrugged. Then he glared at Karma, before walking out of the building.

"We're going home," Killua said.

They walked home in sombre silence. The sky had blossomed a violent shade of orange as the sun prepared to dip below the horizon and each of their faces were lit by the warm glow. Although there was the distinctive bustle of people around them, the silence in the air was still oppressing.

The silence was mainly Killua's fault. Alluka and Gon would talk eagerly for hours on end if they were left to it (as they had demonstrated over email plenty of times) but right now, both were staring at Killua from either side as though waiting for him to speak up. Killua walked quickly, a stride in front of the two. The pace wasn't fast but it still hurt his aching muscles. He knew he would have to say something eventually, but a part of him was frantically delaying it as much as possible.

After a few more minutes, Killua spoke.

"Where are you staying?"

"Your place, I guess," Gon said cheerfully. Typical of him, he hadn't made any plans before arriving.

"We only have two bedrooms," Killua said.

"I can stay in your room," Alluka interjected.

Now that Killua had opened his mouth, the two quickened their pace slightly to catch up with Killua, with an air of victory, as though making the silver haired boy talk had been an achievement.

"I have so much to tell you!" Gon started. "Leorio's doing well with his course… "

( _Yes, Killua knew that. Leorio had mailed him a few times with his progress, along with a few suspicious looking links that Killua ignored.)_

"… and he got a girlfriend!" That was news. Killua turned to Gon is surprise.

"Seriously? That old geezer?"

"She's really nice," Gon said. So he's met her, whoever 'her' was, whilst Killua didn't even know of 'her' existence. Did Leorio not bother to mention his new relationship to Killua or was it because Killua had been avoiding contact with his old friends?

"How's Kurapika?" Killua asked.

"He's gotten a lot of the eyes back, but he's still searching. He's found a new lead – a Prince somewhere."

At those words suddenly Killua got the impression that a tall, impenetrable wall had suddenly sprung up between him and everyone else, because they had all changed over time (perhaps other than Gon) and grown apart. No, not just sprang up, had been built brick by brick over the months. Stranded on the other side, Killua felt a little empty. Only a little, though. He knew that all of this was worth it for Alluka's happiness and safety.

They had arrived at the apartment. Killua fished the key out of his pocket and, unlocking it, pushed open the door.

The sun was now down and in the gloom the apartment looked like an empty hole. Switching on the light filled it with a bright yellow glow, illuminating all the furniture. Killua slipped out of his black rubber soled shoes and lined it up against the wall with his usual pair. He would have to return those tomorrow. Gon and Alluka did the same with their laced up boots.

Once inside Killua went to the kitchen and put on a kettle of water. A glance at the wall clock told him it was late, late enough for Alluka to be going to bed. Behind him, Alluka and Gon sat on the sofa, chatting.

"Alluka, you should start getting ready for bed," Killua said. Alluka glanced at the clock. She puffed out her cheeks, indicating annoyance, but stood up nonetheless.

"I'll move my stuff to your room then," she said.

"No, Gon can have my room, I'll sleep on the sofa. There isn't enough space in my room for two anyway," Killua said. And lately nightmares had become an issue and the last thing Killua wanted was to accidently wake Alluka up in the middle of the night.

"Alright," Alluka said and walked to her room. The door closed behind her with a click.

It was just Gon and Killua now. Killua could easily see an awkward conversation starting.

 _(Like why did you stop mailing?)_

He would rather avoid that. Without looking at Gon's face, Killua sighed quietly and walked to his room, making sure the door closed firmly behind him. Perhaps it was rude, leaving a guest on his own like that, but Killua couldn't care less. It wasn't like Gon would notice.

Once inside, Killua hastily pushed the piles of paper sprawled across the floor together and dumped them in the far corner. However, as soon as he had done so he changed his mind and shoved them in the small cabinet to the side of the bed. Assassination plans. He wasn't sure how much Gon knew, but Killua didn't particularly want him finding out like this. From the top of the cabinet, Killua also took the portrait of Gon that Alluka had given him on his birthday and placed it carefully on top of the paper, before closing the door. Surely Gon wouldn't go through his stuff.

Straightening up, Killua looked around the room, making sure it was presentable. The duvet was a little ruffled and there was still school items lying all over the floor, but other than that it seemed alright.

"Is this your room?"

Killua's heart jolted so much he thought he was going to have a heart attack. He hadn't done anything wrong and yet he felt like a little kid found with chocolate all over his hands.

"Err, yeah," Killua said. The room was too small. Even though Gon was metres away, rucksack over one shoulder, Killua felt like he needed to get away. A blush was forming on his cheeks – the radiator had been left on for some reason and the temperature was noticeably hot. He needed to get back to the kitchen (the water had probably boiled by now), but to do so he would have to push past Gon who was still in the doorway.

"It's great!" Gon exclaimed, dumping his bag to the side and running up to the window on the other side. "Hey, there's a shop over there. What is it?" Gon's face was so close to the glass, his nose was practically touching it, his breath making white clouds on the cold surface.

"The convenience store," Killua answered simply.

"Do you use it?"

"Sometimes."

The doorway was clear now.

"I'm making tea. You can unpack your stuff if you want," Killua said and without giving Gon time to say anything, exited the room.

Once outside, Killua exhaled the breath he realised he had been holding. _Idiot!_ What had the tension been all about? Because Gon was in his room? How many times had they held a conversation in the same hotel room, or slept next to each other under the stars? Back then, almost every day.

 _(They had been younger then.)_

"Brother! Goodnight!"

Killua jumped, again. This couldn't be good for his heart. He composed himself and turned round to Alluka, who had already changed into her pyjama's and was standing at the entrance to her room.

"'night," Killua said. Alluka grinned then retreated into her room.

"Hey, Killua!" a voice called from inside his own room and Killua turned to see Gon with his head pocking out of the bedroom. "How do you turn the radiator off?"

"There's a… um… switch to the left side," he replied, quietly so he didn't disturb Alluka.

"What?" Gon asked.

"There's a switch, near the bottom," Killua added for clarification. There was a few seconds pause as Gon looked for the switch.

"Found it. Thanks Killua," he said.

"You can open the window if you want, but close it before you get to sleep." Not that anyone would be able to get past Gon unnoticed, sleeping or not but better safe than sorry. It was a city after all.

"Ok. What about tea?"

Why was he always so active? It suddenly struck Killua that the different Time Zones meant Gon was a few hours late with his internal clock. He almost groaned. Tired as he was from assassination, he didn't need a hyperactive Gon disturbing his sleep for the rest of the night.

"I'm going to sleep," Killua said firmly. Walking to the sofa, he collapsed onto it. The tea still hadn't been made, the kettle having turned off automatically was left on its stand. Killua couldn't be asked to do it. He was tired, and he had school tomorrow. He had only closed his eyes for a few seconds before he sunk into the inviting darkness of sleep.

* * *

 _Aaah! I'm really scared I've done their reunion wrong! I loved writing this chapter and at the same time it was so difficult._

 _Thank you for reviewing and please leave a review:3_

 _Guest: Thank you for your review!_


	13. Kidnapp Time

_Happy New Year (a day lateXD)! New chapter: I hope you enjoy it._

* * *

 **Kidnap Time**

It was Monday when Killua woke up. A Monday with light streaming through the open curtains of the living room windows and his muscles aching with more earnest then they had been the night before.

He thought he had heard the door close, but when he opened his eyes and looked at the door, he saw there was no indication it had moved. A dream? Groaning, he grabbed hold of the edge of the sofa and pulled himself into a sitting position, the muscles in his arm and back protesting as he did so.

Squinting at the clock, he saw it was 7:00. Too early. He would prepare for school later.

Killua stood up on wobbly legs. The normal bustle outside was there, but inside was oddly quiet. Glancing around the room, Killua couldn't spot anything out of place. His eyes were sweeping over the room, taking in each detail when he suddenly noticed that Alluka's bedroom door was open, which was unusual. Alluka always slept with her bedroom door closed, and if she was awake then she would usually be in the living room.

With a few quick strides, wincing internally as each step left a sting of pain shooting up his leg, Killua crossed the living room. He glanced into Alluka's bedroom and stared at the school books lit up by the sunlight coming through the window.

Empty.

The duvet had been placed neatly over the bed. She hadn't left in a hurry.

A shiver of dread crawled slowly down Killua's spine. The rational part of his mind was saying that everything was alright, that she had probably just gone to the convenience store. He had slept deeply yesterday, and Alluka might not have wanted to disturb him.

 _(Perhaps he was worrying too much…)_

Killua went to the kitchen this time, and quickly spotted a note on the counter, the white paper filled with Alluka's crisp handwriting.

 _I'm going to the store, we've ran out of milk_

Killua pulled open the fridge door, and sure enough there was no milk in the usual compartment where it was always kept. Was it just his imagination that the carton had been half full when Killua checked last time?

He shook his head. It was probably nothing.

Yet, Killua could not shake off the uneasiness resting heavily on his chest. It seemed to be all over the room, a dark cloud resting on the fringes of his consciousness and refusing to let him rest. Perhaps it was just him being paranoid, but Killua had been told not to take these feelings lightly. The unconscious was far more informative than first thought.

He was still in his crumpled uniform from last night, so not bothering to change, he slipped on his shoes and went outside. It was bright and already warm, the heat sticking to Killua skin. He crossed the road quickly, and walked in a straight line towards the usual convenience store.

The dark shape seemed to come out of nowhere.

One second an empty space, the next a large man in front of him, coming towards him at frightening pace.

Killua stopped to move out the way, but it was a second too late. The man, who Killua could now see was wearing a white apron holding a bunch of flowers, bumped into his shoulder with surprising force. Although he staggered a little, Killua recovered quickly.

"Sorry," Killua muttered, before continuing to walk forward. Another time he might have kicked a fuss, but right now he didn't have time to deal with anything. A hand gripped his shoulder. Angrily, Killua brushed it off and spun round to confront the man.

"Look, I said sorry…"

"Mr Zoldcyk?"

The sudden use of his surname caught Killua by surprise. It was funny how such a simple word could install these mixed emotions of fear and shock in anyone who _knew._ Yet Killua never used it to brag, let alone expected to hear it from anyone, as though he was subconsciously trying to detach himself from the name. To hear it now was… jarring.

"What?" he said.

The average height man, nothing significant about his looks except maybe the gentleness of his features and the yellowness of his blond hair, smiled.

Then there was a scream.

From down the road, from the road towards the convenience store, full of surprise with a hint of desperation. And familiar.

Suddenly, the fear that had been nagging Killua since he woke up came up like a roaring fire, terror clinging to each vein and surging through his muscles. All sorts of scenarios were flying through his brain, each clambering to be seen. He had sworn to _protect_ her, to make sure _nothing_ would ever hurt her, and in that moment it was the weight of failure that pressed down on his shoulders.

A strangled shout of answer escaped his throat.

"Alluka!"

And then he was running. Not even caring who could see the electricity buzzing around him in a white halo of light, just needing to get to his sister who was in danger.

He didn't have to run far – he was there in less than a second, his eyes darting to each detail and taking in the scene.

A black car pulled up on the driveway, a crowd of people, men in black suits with guns held in their hands…

"Where's Alluka!" he demanded, loudly. "What have you done with her!" He didn't even have time to keep the desperation out of his voice, raw with the torrent of emotions ripping through his mind, or to stop the pure bloodlust radiate out of his body. In the corner of his eye, he saw the crowd of civilians take a hasty step back. He didn't care. He could _kill_ right now. Rip each and every heart out for daring to touch the person who he held closest to his heart.

"Calm down, Killua- _kun_."

The voice, clipped and professional, did little to help his aggravated nerves.

Killua turned to the person who had spoken, an averaged sized woman with sleek blue hair to just below her shoulders, in an identical suit to the three people around him, and glared.

"I'm going to kill you," Killua said. His voice, although calmer, was full of all the killing intent he could put behind it. The other person did not react, other than a little raise in her pencilled in eyebrows.

"Your brother will be returned quite safely, if you will listen civilly," the woman answered smoothly.

"Sister," was Killua's abrupt reply. The other did not comment on the statement.

"I have no intention to harm you, if we can have your cooperation. Why don't we talk about this privately?" she said. The threat in the phrase was clear – Killua had a blackmailed enough to know when it was being directed at him, even with the lack of aggression in the voice.

Something about the woman snagged in Killua's mind, but he was too absorbed in thinking about his next move to answer. He needed to get Alluka and get out of here.

Where was she?

He looked at the car. The woman's eyes followed his line of vision to the car and his tensed ever so slightly. Killua was moving in an instant. Kicking off the ground with one foot, he was shooting towards the car.

Something slammed into his stomach. It was with such force that Killua saw the flash of bright stars across his vision as the red hot pain struck him. Then he was flying. He saw faces in the crowd, full of shock and horror (and was that Nagisa?) before he connected with the ground.

Killua was up again in an instant, his nen already in a strong _Ken_. Although his body was sending him warning signs from every part of him, Killua ignored it completely, concentrating solely on the task ahead of him. He could deal with the pain – having trained to tolerate it since an early age. He had to do this, he couldn't let Alluka down.

What had happened? He hadn't seen anything hit him.

The woman was standing a few metres away, her hand extended. Something about this position was odd, the extended arm should not have gone anywhere near Killua and seemed to have no purpose. Killua immediately remembered back to Biscuit's training.

(" _If you see something suspicious gyo!")_

Concentrating his aura into his eyes, he could see the clear outline of nen in a vaguely cylindrical shape extending from the woman's hand and going to exactly where Killua had encountered the resistance. Was it his nen? It had to be. A transmuting type power of some sort.

He was running again. Out of the crowd and towards the figure, standing there as though waiting for Killua to attack. If Killua wanted to get to Alluka, he would have to take her out first.

It was a mistake of Killua's, really. He should have realised that concentrating his aura to his eyes and his hands would leave the rest of his body frightfully vulnerable, that with the strain of yesterday's assassination attempt still weighing on his muscles, his reactions weren't as good as they should be. He should have realised that he was running into a trap, that the prick of the hairs on the back of his neck standing up was a warning. But he didn't.

Like a hammer, the force hit him on the head from behind.

For some reason, the floor was right in front of his face and the world was turning dark. He could hear someone talking, vaguely see one of the suited men step towards him but the world was doing a crazy dance of lazy loops and he could be sure.

"Killua!"

 _(Gon?)_

The man was flying away, now on the floor, pushed over by a solid kick to the jaw. Just as the blackness consumed the world, he was sure he saw Gon's back to him, arms raised ready to fight, impossibly bright in his tunnelled vision.

Somewhere in the last remaining slithers of consciousness, a single memory flashed across his mine. He remembered. Why hadn't he noticed before? As the world spun and faded, a single thought flashed though his brain; he knew who the woman was.

The world went black.

* * *

The car was empty. It took a millisecond for Nagisa to register this, a few moments more for Gon to do the same. He jumped back away from the door, eyes snapping upwards. Following his gaze, Nagisa cursed internally as he watched the woman disappear across the rooftop. She had left his accomplices in a messy sprawl behind him, left where Gon had knocked them down. The woman apparently was not interested in retrieving them.

Gon was already up and chasing her.

"Wait..." Nagisa started, arms outreached in some futile effort to stop him but the green blur that was Gon had already disappeared over the rooftop.

( _That woman is dangerous._ )

The woman unnerved him. There was that nagging feeling in the back of his brain that Nagisa couldn't pinpoint. It used to be a rare occurrence, but ever since Class E, Nagisa had been getting the feeling often. It meant another assassin was in the vicinity, usually.

A soft groan behind him informed him that Killua had regained consciousness. Nagisa hoped he was alright. Whatever invisible force had hit him from behind, going by the way Killua had flown forwards its impact should have been enough to leave a substantial dent.

 _(What had that been?)_

There were questions going through Nagisa's head, one's that desperately needed answering. Right now, though, someone needed his help.

Killua had sat up now, rubbing his head.

"Alluka," Nagisa distinctively heard him whisper, although the sound was hard to catch with the people milling about him.

Someone had called an ambulance, and its piercing shrieks were coming nearer.

Nagisa ran up to Killua, shoving through the crowd.

"Are you alright?" he asked, once he was beside him.

Killua attempted to stand, but wobbled a little. Grabbing his arms, Nagisa helped him up. The other boy immediately pushed him away, face turned half away.

"I'm fine," Killua said, harshly. "Where's Alluka?"

Nagisa's second pause in search of a reply is enough to set Killua off.

He was already a few steps ahead when Nagisa spotted Gon, come back over the rooftop, landing neatly in front of Killua. His face was livid, full of hate and anger, the fury written across every feature. There was a note in his hand, scrunched up in a tight ball with enough force to make Gon's knuckles a sickly white.

"Alluka…" Killua started. There's something Nagisa had never seen before in his face, which has turned even paler than his usually white hue. He looked ghostly, blue eyes wide. Its fear, he realised, that ground the assassin to the spot.

 _(He cares about his sister.)_

"What is that?" Nagisa asked, slowly as though trying to incite an angry bee hive. Gon looked at him, then slowly passed him the note.

"He was gone by the time I went over the house. I found this," the black haired boy explained.

Nagisa uncurled the crumpled paper carefully. It was a map, a cross placed across a black block near the centre. He recognised one of the streets to the side as somewhere just out of town.

 _KZ:_

 _08:00 today._

 _Do not contact anyone._

 _Come alone._

* * *

 _Please read and review._

 _Guest: Thanks._

 _Chococandyz: Yeah..._


	14. Hide and Seek Time period 1

_New chapter. Please read and review!_

* * *

 **Hide and Seek Time, Period 1**

 _There was a butler missing from the scene. Killua was playing by the sand pit, as always, still wondering when Illumi would let him see Alluka. His youngest sibling had been in her bedroom for days, without indication of ever coming out. Perhaps it was to do with all those deaths. No one had been very happy about that._

 _"_ _Where's Freyzard?" Killua asked, staring at his eldest brother with curious blue eyes. His brother stared back, the same emotionless look._

 _"_ _Dead," Illumi replied._

 _"_ _Oh, why?" Killua asked. The news was a mild surprise to him but not too much so. Butlers often disappeared, either from their own mysterious circumstances or being incompetent._

 _"_ _We were experimenting with Alluka's power. She died as a result," Illumi said._

 _"_ _Oh," Killua said. "Can I see Alluka?"_

 _Illumi shook his head._

 _"_ _He's dangerous. It's for the whole family's safety that he be kept away," Illumi said. The whole family? Killua assumed that meant Alluka too. If it was for Alluka's safety…_

 _"_ _But…"_

 _"_ _Don't answer back, Killu," Illumi said._

 _Killua hesitated, for a long while looking as though he was about to retort. However, he suddenly looked away from Illumi's face and nodded before going back to playing with action figures in the sand._

* * *

Just as Alluka opened her eyes a flare of panic rushed through her brain like fire. It was dark, too dark, and the blackness was oppressing against her eyes. In her disorientation, it took a moment for Alluka to realise that the pressure against her eyes was a blind fold, that the coarse fabric digging into her wrists was rope. Her breathing came out in little puffs, ragged against her throat. How long had she been out? Her head swam.

There were voices in the room. Too loud. They left a fierce ringing in Alluka's presently sensitive ears and involuntarily she found tears pricking at her eyes. She wanted to sleep. She was so tiered, her body ached and a tight pressure encased her skull.

 _(Where was Brother!)_

She mustn't panic. If she remained as calm and composed as possible, then Killua would come in no time to rescue her. Alluka trusted Killua, more than anything in the world, and she had no intention of losing faith now.

Where was she? The last thing Alluka remembered was bumping into a woman on the way back from the store, a sharp pain as something entered her arm. She had looked up, she remembered, and seen the woman's face and the brief flash of confusion that crossed it. Then the drowsiness, the tunnelling of her vision, the panic as she realised she had been drugged. She had screamed. Had Killua answered? He may have.

Then… nothing. She woke up.

Alluka listened more closely at the voices a little ahead of her.

"You said the drug would work instantly! Because of this, our mission was compromised!" It was a man speaking, the words rough, harsh and full of ill contained aggression.

The replying voice was quiet and Alluka had to strain to hear it. There was a distorted hum to it, not human at all. Perhaps the conversation was over an intercom.

"It went well in the end – the note has been passed on, he will come."

"You're supposed to be the best in the world! It was _you_ who didn't know about the family's unique immunity to poison. I lost men!"

He? Killua?

"And who provided you with those men?" a different voice replied this time, feminine and calm. It was agonisingly familiar too but without seeing a face, Alluka couldn't pinpoint it.

Why would they want to kidnap the two of them in the first place? A thought flashed across her mind. In the same instant, Nanika seemed to think the same thing and shrunk further towards the black recess of her mind.

 _(We promised we wouldn't listen to any more wishes.)_

"If you fail me again, I'll make you regret it!"

"Of course," the intercom again.

After this there was silence. The conversation was probably over.

Alluka struggled to keep her breathing level as the silence continued, conscious of the other people in the room. Finally, there was a click and a swoosh, indicating the others had left. Alluka exhaled shakily but didn't dare move. There could be surveillance, for all she knew. She would have to sit and wait. Killua would come.

* * *

When Killua pressed two fingers to the back of his head, sharp pain flooded through his skull. There was a noticeable bump, and with the tips of his fingers, he could feel that the hair there was matted with dried liquid. He pulled his fingers away and studied the spots of brownish blood, noting with relief it was congealing quickly.

"Is it OK?" Gon asked.

"Yeah," Killua answered. A normal person would almost definitely be in hospital, perhaps even dead. Luckily Killua wasn't normal.

The door suddenly opened and Nagisa came in to the living room, holding a small bag in his hand. He walked towards the sofa and set it down.

"There's bandages," he said, rummaging around the bag and pulling out a roll of white fabric. "What else is there…"

"Just a wipe," Killua asked him. Nagisa glanced at him with a subtle look of curiosity.

"Are you sure? It looked bad…" Killua supposed it would look bad for a normal teenager like Nagisa – lying on the floor with bleeding. However Killua had survived worse and he wasn't going to let a small bruise (ok, it was slightly worse than that) stop him getting Alluka back.

"Thanks Nagisa," Gon said with a small smile.

"It's fine," Nagisa shrugged. He put the bandages back in the bag and fished out a packet of wipes. Taking the packet from Nagisa, Killua got one out and preceded to gently tease the blood out of his hair. Nagisa put the bag to the side and sat down.

There was a drawn out moment of silence.

"What are we going to do?" Nagisa asked. Killua looked down, pressing the back of his palm against his lips and tried to break down the problem posed to him. He wanted to charge in right now and rescue Alluka but was that really the best option? Surely the opposition wouldn't want to hurt Alluka, but that wasn't a guarantee. Worst case scenario, Alluka would be injured… perhaps even…

 _(No, don't think like that.)_

"Wait until the time comes. That's probably the best option," Killua said. They would have to play along until they could get to Alluka.

"Couldn't we just… go in and rescue her?" Nagisa suggested.

Well that was an idea. Killua ducked his head down, deeply contemplating the situation. Then he looked at Gon; could the two of them combined be enough to bring their enemy down. But he knew who they were dealing with and Killua didn't like the odds.

"Gon, how's your Ren?"

"Killua…" Gon said. There was a hint of something apologetic in his tone. "I can't use nen."

Killua's eyes widened, as Nagisa tilted his head inquisitively. Gon couldn't use nen? This hadn't come up in any of their conversations or their mails. Not being able to use nen… that was like fighting with both hand's tied behind you and a sack over your head.

"What? Why?" Killua asked.

"I don't know, but after Alluka made me better, I just couldn't use it," Gon explained. With _gyo,_ Killua focused on his best friend. There was nothing wrong with him; his aura trailed upwards and dissipated into the room as any normal person…

 _(But he wasn't normal.)_

"Have you tried reawakening it?" Killua asked. There was a hum of panic underlying his voice. Even though it was Gon who had lost his nen, Killua felt like there was a horrendous gap where something was missing.

"Yeah, it didn't work," Gon said with a little, uncaring shrug. "I thought maybe… this was the price for defeating Pitou. I kind of accepted it I guess."

"Damn," Killua muttered. So much was happening at once, he wasn't quite sure he could get his head around everything. There was a minute of silence, as all of them tried to grasp the situation and understand it.

Nagisa opened his mouth.

"I know who that woman is," Killua said, suddenly breaking the silence. The groups focused was entirely on him, curious about what he had to say.

"You do?" Gon asked. Killua nodded.

"She's called Freyzard, who was a butler who served at the Zoldyck estate about ten years ago. I thought she was dead but apparently not. She's strong," he explained. Well, in his distant memory of her, she was. It had been a while since Killua had seen her and back then, Killua hadn't been strong.

 _(She would know about Alluka's power…)_

"You have an estate?" Nagisa asked.

"Yes," Killua said, without alliterating further.

"What are we going to do?" Gon started. Killua was out of ideas. They needed to get Alluka back but couldn't do so without agreeing to the terms. It put them at a disadvantage and one Killua didn't like.

"Wait," Nagisa suddenly said. "I think I have an idea."

"What is it?" Gon asked, tilting his head slightly to the side.

"Killua, do you have your phone?" Nagisa asked.

"Yeah, but he could patch into phone calls," Killua said. He knew this from experience. It's not like they were several thousand metres in the sky after all.

"I'm not making a phone call," Nagisa said with a grin. Killua got his phone out from his pocket and handed it to Nagisa. It was still the beetle shaped one he had gotten years ago, having never had the urge to throw it away.

 _(Gon had the same one.)_

Nagisa stared at it and looked as though he was about to comment. However, he didn't say anything about the slightly odd shape.

"Do you bring it to class?" Nagisa said. Killua frowned in confusion but answered.

"Yeah." Killua had his phone with him at almost all times.

"On?"

Killua nodded. Just in case Alluka needed something.

"Ritsu has a transmitter. She made this wireless thing so that you can get her onto your phone," Nagisa explained. "If you've been into the classroom with this phone, she probably knows it already."

Killua blinked; he hadn't thought of Ritsu but now realised how much of an asset she could be. It was kind of scary, actually, the amount of resources these kids had.

There was a soft chime from Killua's phone. The screen suddenly changed, and on it, twirling her hair between her fingers, was Ritsu.

"Hello," she said cheerfully. "I was waiting for you. The incident today was on the news."

* * *

Half an hour later, Killua was taking a glance at his watch, checking the time. 07:56 the numbers flashed up. He was four minutes early.

He was well aware of the surveillance cameras dotted around the apparently abandoned multi-story parking area, their blank glass eyes staring at him unblinkingly. They were everywhere, although not noticeably so, perched on the concrete beams, in the gaps between the crumbling ceiling. Although he couldn't be certain, Killua got the feeling this entire building was being used by whoever was behind this. It was boarded off for the public, metal fencing all around it – according to Ritsu, it was going to be demolished in two weeks' time.

Killua looked at the time again. 07:58. The numbers were going too slowly. He needed to see Alluka, to see that he was alright. The last hour had been hell for him, with the nervous bite gnawing at his stomach and thoughts like knives in his head. Even Gon's words of reassurance meant nothing now.

The white haired boy recalled the same feeling from a long time ago. He had promised he would never do anything like that again.

 _(Blood. He watched as it splattered out in front of him, registered the missing arm, the tears in the other's eyes. "I'm fine," he says. "It doesn't hurt.")_

Two minutes was agonisingly long. Killua concentrated on the small things, like keeping his breathing low and level to hide his presence so that he could sense any movement around him easily.

Finally, his ears picked up on a subtle whirr to his side. Although his eyes could see nothing, he could feel the presence of a moving object as clear as daylight. He turned and fixed his attention on an elevator door, it's previously silver surface rusting. It opened with a small squeak.

Freyzard in a black suit stepped out. She was on her own.

"You came," she said.

 _Well, thank you for stating the obvious_ , Killua thought. The voice in his head was a little sarcastic.

"You're on your own," Killua said. He could say this with almost absolute certainly, having had plenty of time to familiarise himself with the surroundings and sense the presence of everyone around him. Someone would have to be incredibly competent to hide themselves from him now.

"So are you," Freyzard replied. Killua supposed the same could be said for the other woman.

"I could kill you now," Killua told her. The woman gave a small smile.

"But where would Alluka be, if you did that."

Killua gritted his teeth subtly. Unfortunately, Freyzard was right. Although there was no one in the vicinity, he already knew that the CCTV cameras were active and that he was being watched. Killua didn't know how many other people were with Freyzard – acting irrationally now would endanger Alluka's life and that was something he wasn't willing to do.

"Shall we start with introductions? My name is Freyzard."

"I know. Where's Alluka?" he asked.

"Why should I tell you?" Freyzard asked back.

"What do you want?"

"The same thing as you," Freyzard said. "When I say, you won't be hurt if you cooperate, I mean it. Shall we discuss it inside?" Freyzard gestured towards the open elevator door.

 _The same thing as you._

Although he hadn't told anyone else, Killua was almost certain he knew what the final demand would be. Why else would Alluka be targeted?

Nanika was no longer required to grant wishes. The sole person who had control over that power was Killua. Even Freyzard shouldn't know this – this was new knowledge, unrevealed to anyone but Killua until a year ago. Why would Freyzard know this?

Her power to grant wishes was meant to be a complete secret. The whole family agreed on this, and such thing was a very rare occurrence. If someone were to find out what she was capable of, there was nothing stopping them from taking advantage.

Freyzard had walked into the elevator and was staring at Killua.

Every nerve in his body was screaming that this was a trap, that he should run, but Killua pushed down those thoughts with a forceful mental shove. Killua didn't have much choice at the moment. Right now, Alluka was priority. If he couldn't get Alluka out, completely unharmed, there was no point.

Killua followed Freyzard into the elevator.

* * *

 _Thank you for reading! Any advice is appreciated!_


	15. Hide and Seek Time period 2

_Sorry it's a little late! Anyway, new chapter:_

* * *

 **Hide and Seek Time, period 2**

The elevator stopped soundlessly and Killua felt the little pull on his stomach as it did so. The doors slid open with a metallic clunk, to reveal a featureless concrete corridor extending forward. It was lit dimly with a line of white strip lights, connected by a bundle of wires. Killua studied them quietly – he had charged before he came here, but it was nice to know there was a supply of electricity down here. Further down, he could also make out a metal door.

"Down there," Freyard said, indicating across the corridor.

Wordlessly, Killua started walking towards the door. Despite the mixture of feeling chewing him up inside, he was outwardly calm. So close to someone who had dared to hurt Alluka, he had expected his bloodlust to surge outwards, but it was surprisingly easy to control. Perhaps his unconscious had finally gotten the idea that he needed to be calm if he was going to rescue his sister.

Although the floor was hard, there were no footsteps, either from Killua or from Freyzard. It was an old habit and Killua supposed it unnerved people, although he couldn't be bothered to rectify it. Within a few seconds they were by the door and Freyzard was pulling a key out of his pocket. The door opened with a clank.

Immediately after the door were two men, armed – they didn't seem too troublesome to take down. They acknowledged Freyzard with a nod.

"Where's Alluka?" Killua said.

There was another door to the left, and Freyzard gestured. Killua took a deep breath before entering.

"Brother!"

The word was like a knife to his heart, but one of relief and joy.

Alluka, alive and well, tears shining in her eyes was sitting on the other side of a wooden desk. If Killua didn't know better, she could almost be sitting on the dining room table at home.

 _(Since when was it home?)_

"Alluka!" Killua called back. He took a step towards Alluka, but a firm hand on his shoulder held him back. It was a jolting reminder that this wasn't over yet.

There was a man sitting on a seat facing to the side, staring at the two. If Killua hadn't seen worse, he might have been shocked at the state of the man's face; long vertical scars ran down his cheeks and Killua could see the etched lines, raw and ragged, had been scratched out by fingernails. His expression was twisted with such absolute malice Killua felt a little shiver of apprehension. He also noted the black hair, slicked back at the top and shaved at the bottom, as well as his large, muscular stature – something about the man's demeanour gave him the impression he had once been in the army.

"Take a seat," the man suddenly, indicating to the seat opposite to Alluka, to his right. His voice was low and gravely, full of obvious malice in contrast to the blank voice of Freyzard. Was he the man in charge? Freyzard had taken her post next to the door, standing deadly still. Apparently yes.

"I would prefer to stand," Killua said. You could react faster, standing.

"I insist."

Killua sat.

"What do you want?" Killua asked. His voice was devoid of all emotion, cool and professional in contrast to the outburst only seconds before.

"To kill Korosensei. I'm sure you've already worked this out," the man said with a sneer.

He had. It was pretty obvious wasn't it? There was a substantial bounty on his teacher's head and even without that motivation, people weren't happy with the whole 'destroy the world next year' thing. With Alluka's power, Korosensei could be easily finished off.

But Killua couldn't. He couldn't let Alluka be used like that. He knew if Alluka's power was known, it wouldn't stop there – people would be queuing to ask for wishes, and the power struggle over her would be off the scale. She could do anything. Whoever had that power, had the world in their hands. And when there as the risk of that power falling into an opponent's hands, Killua knew Alluka's life would be in danger. Forever.

Her power was a last resort for a reason. If Killua couldn't protect Alluka, then there was no point.

"And?" he asked.

"I know of Alluka's power. Use it."

Alluka's eyes were wide.

It was at this moment that Killua realised he still hadn't told Alluka what he was doing in Class E, who Korosensei was. The twist of guilt in his stomach was overpowering. She didn't even know what was going on because Killua had left her in the dark. But he had to do this. He had to protect her.

"OK."

If Alluka was killed now, then what was the point of keeping her power secret in the first place? The man had the upper hand and they both knew it.

"Brother?" Alluka's voice was wary. Killua grimaced at the questioning tone but quickly replaced it with a smile.

"It'll be over soon, I promise," he said. He licked his dry lips before continuing. Hopefully, he could live up to that promise.

* * *

Once the door closed and the two disappeared, Nagisa put down his binoculars and gestured to Gon hiding with him in the tree tops, a hundred metres or so away from the dilapidated building. It was time to move.

Right on que, a small chime sounded from Killua's phone and Nagisa fished it out of his pocket, feeling the edge of a small object, also kept in his pocket, as he did so. Nagisa leaned over to see Ritsu's smiling face on the flat screen.

"I've hacked the system," she said with a wink. "I'll put the cameras on loop so you can go in unnoticed."

Nagisa wondered where they'd be without the artificial intelligence that was Ritsu – she was a valuable member of the class that had helped them out of a lot of tight spots. An image sprang to Nagisa's mind of a dominating building at the top of a jagged cliff, the silent expanse of the sea at night behind them. That really had been a tight spot.

"Thanks," Nagisa said with a smile.

"No problem," Ritsu replied, with an equally bright smile.

"Let's go," Gon said, sights already set on the elevator door.

They were ready.

After jumping neatly into the building, the two walked towards the elevator. Nagisa knocked on the metal door and listened to the dull clanks as he did so.

"We can't just press the button," he told Gon, although it seemed like an obvious thing to say. "Ritsu?"

From the small screen of Killua's phone, Nagisa could see that Ritsu looked worried, her usual air of confidence lost from her face.

"I can move the elevator, but from there I'm not sure," she said. "The systems inside seem to be running on an independent system. I don't know if there are guards."

Gon's fist was clenched tightly into a ball.

"It doesn't matter," he said, his eyes radiating crackling energy.

The elevator gave a small ting. With a horrible clank, the doors were open and the poorly lit square beckoned them. Nagisa and Gon glanced at each other, nodding. Both expressions were grim – Killua was relying on them.

They stepped in simultaneously.

The doors closed noisily behind them and the airy sensation in Nagisa's stomach indicated the lift was heading downwards. It was a few seconds before the lift stopped smoothly.

"Are you alright?" Nagisa asked Gon. The silent fury on his face made Nagisa turn quickly away without a word. He made a mental note never to make Gon angry – even without the rage directed at him, it was enough to make him tense up, guarded.

"I'll open the elevator door's in five seconds," Ritsu called from the phone.

Nagisa steeled himself, counting in his head.

When the door opened nothing happened. The anxiety building up in Nagisa only seemed to rocket at the lack of opposition and although the corridor in front of them looked empty he was constantly expecting an attack. It was Gon who moved first, solidly walking out the elevator, hands clenched into fists. Ready. Nagisa followed after him.

They reached the door. Even though there was nothing to be seen, Nagisa felt it – presences. There were people on the other side. He glanced at Gon.

"Ritsu?" Nagisa asked. Ritsu's face was set in a frown.

"Wait a second… Yes," there was a small chime from the phone "-the system is automated. I can open it."

Nagisa took a deep breath in then exhaled quietly. Reaching into his pocket, he took out the other item – a small stun gun that Killua had given him before they left. He turned to Gon.

"Ready?"

"Yes," Gon said, dropping down to a fighting stance. There was a soft click before the door slid open, revealing another corridor.

Immediately the two guards on the other side reacted, glancing through the door with large guns in their hands, to see who was there. Seeing the two seemingly unarmed children, they stopped, but only for a brief instance.

"Intru…!" one started. To his credit, he managed to aim his gun at Gon, just before the black hair boy rushed forward and slammed a knee into his gut with superhuman speed and strength. The other reeled backwards and in that instance, the whole world stopped.

For Nagisa at least.

The vague, nagging feeling in his brain had gone completely, replaced by emptiness and the loud beat of his heart. He saw one guard reel away from Gon's kick, gasping in pain, as the other spun round to retaliate. He could see, as clear as daylight, the guards attention waver from him.

 _Now!_

Nagisa walked forward, almost calmly, forward. He was behind the guard having avoided the other's attention.

"Hello," he said.

As the man turned to confront him, he hooked his leg at his knee and yanked it towards him. The man crumbled down into a messy sprawl and Nagisa took the opportunity to press the stun gun against him. Pressing the small button at the side, Nagisa turned it on. For a second, a flash of white light surrounded the form, before he slumped down, unconscious.

When Nagisa turned to Gon, the other guard was also on the floor.

"Which way?" Nagisa asked, his voice raised even though it didn't have to be as Gon was right next to him. They didn't know if they had been discovered and if they were, they would have to act quickly to get them all out safely.

Gon closed his eyes for a second. When they snapped open, he was focused on a door on their left hand side.

"This way!" he shouted. He sprinted the last few metres, impossibly fast for a human being, and before Nagisa could shout to stop him, he was at the door. Gon gripped the handle tightly and ripped the door open.

"Quite… subtle," Ritsu commented from Nagisa's pocket as he ran after Gon.

He expected action to be occurring on the other side of the door, but the scene was relatively still. (To his delight) there was Killua, standing in front of Alluka protectively in the back corner of the room with a stray crackle of electricity floating around his hair and (to his dismay) Freyzard and a man between Gon and their friends, on the other side of a large wooden desk.

Nagisa gasped as he recognised the man. The muscular body, the wild look in his eyes and more than anything, the defining scars on his face.

"Takaoka," he whispered.

The man who abused his power as a teacher and had been made a failure in front of the whole class. The man who had threatened to kill half the members of Class E and bury Kayano in concrete.

"You," Takaoka said. He was scratching again, picking at the shallow skin of his scars until they bled. He had always held a grudge against Nagisa, ever since he had been defeated by him when he first came to Class E. It seemed that that hatred had only grown.

Nagisa could hear each of their breathing. He could see the dark shadow over all of their faces, the tingle of nervous energy down his spine. Stronger than ever was the bloodlust that coiled inside him.

"How! How did you escape?" Nagisa said. Takaoka should be in prison, and rightly so. He was insane.

"I had help. Unlike you pesky brats I can afford to…"

"Takaoka!" The voice was Freyzards. She stared at Takaoka coldly and the larger man's lips twisted in annoyance. For a moment, Nagisa thought he would hit her, but he hissed and turned back to Nagisa.

"I'll finally get my vengeance," he said smugly. Gon took a glance at him, but immediately changed the direction of his gaze to Killua.

"Is Alluka alright?" Gon asked.

"Yeah," Killua replied, emphasising it with a nod. He gripped tighter on the smaller hand of the form behind him. Getting conformation that she is alright, Nagisa relaxed slightly. Gon visibly did the same, but his guard was as strong as always.

"The wall!" Gon shouted, without warning. Nagisa gave him a sideward glance, confused, but Killua seemed to be struck with sudden understanding. He gave a nod to Gon, smiled at Nagisa.

With a flash a crackle of electricity surrounded him, engulfing him in a halo of bright white light. Nagisa closed his eyes in reaction and, in that brief moment while the world was dark, a huge band erupted across the room. Next were the few gasps of surprise and by the time Nagisa opened his eyes there was a gaping hole in the wall closest to where the elevator was. Killua and Alluka were gone.

"After him!" Takaoka shouted, the rage evident in his voice.

Immediately, Freyzard clambered through the hole.

Gon turned to Takaoka.

"Freyzard will never catch Killua," he said, certainty in his voice. "And you're going to regret trying to threaten Alluka!"

The grin Takaoka returned was enough to make a shiver go down Nagisa's spine.

* * *

 _Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you can:)_


	16. Confrontation Time

_New chapter: hope you enjoy it!_

* * *

 **Confrontation Time**

The crackle of electricity cursing through his veins kept Killua focused. He ran, reactions quickened to impossible levels with his nen, almost flying across the floor and he was at the elevator in less than a second, Alluka still clutched in his arms. He paused at the door, turning around in response to presences.

Freyzard was after him. He mentally cursed.

"Are you alright?" Killua asked, looking down at Alluka. She nodded.

Killua wondered briefly if he should wait for Ritsu to operate the elevator for him or just break it and climb up. The latter would be faster but would potential block off the only escape route for Nagisa.

 _(Did he really want to leave Gon? The other boy couldn't use nen. But… Alluka was priority. He had to get her safe.)_

He didn't have to choose. The elevator door opened suddenly in front of him, revealing the square compartment inside. Killua took a quick glance around his vicinity and immediately spotted a security camera on the corner of the corridor, its unblinking lens eyes staring down at him. He smiled at it.

"Thanks Ritsu," he said, before stepping into the elevator.

As soon as Killua was outside he was running again, jumping out of the nearest window of the abandoned parking lot and into a cluster of trees just outside. He needed to get as far away as possible to make sure Alluka was safe. Alluka was priority.

"Brother!" Alluka suddenly called out. Killua came to a sudden halt just nearby a large yew tree, stray crackles of electricity still clinging to his hair. He had travelled a substantial distance, even in those few seconds and the dilapidated building was already far behind him.

"What did he mean?" Alluka asked. Her tone had lost its simple curiosity, now filled with the subtle but noticeable tone of hurt and anger. A frown appeared on Killua's face as he forced himself to evaluate the situation rather than avoid it. He got the vague impression, somewhere in the back of his mind, that he had seen this scenario coming and had been unconsciously delaying it for as long as possible.

"Alluka…" he started. He set her down in front of him.

"Don't avoid the question!" Alluka said. Her hands were clenched into tight fists and her shoulders raised angrily.

Killua looked down, avoiding eye contact. Guilt settled uncomfortable in his stomach as he realised just how long he had kept Alluka in the dark for.

"I'll explain anything but…"

"No buts!"

Nervously, Killua glanced behind him. He couldn't feel anything but he wasn't sure just how long that peace would last. He inhaled deeply, then exhaled.

"You know the moon exploded last April?" he said. Alluka nodded.

Of course she did. You would have to be living in a hole under a rock not to.

"The culprit came forward. He's called Korosensei and he's fast. Incredibly fast."

Alluka stared at him, face blank.

 _(Mach 20 fast.)_

"He's threatened to destroy the Earth next April unless he's assassinated in that time. He's a teacher at Class E," Killua explained. "The students are all assassins."

Looking up, Killua studied his sister's face carefully. Alluka blinked. There was nothing in her expression that suggested shock or horror and Killua gave an internal sigh of relief.

"That's it?" she asked. Killua nodded. He wasn't lying.

"That's why Freyzard wanted Nanika to kill… Korosensei?" Alluka said.

"Yeah," Killua said quietly. Everyone wanted to kill Korosensei and not just for the massive bounty on his head – not many people were happy with the world being destroyed in less than a year's time.

"Then why didn't you just tell me?" Alluka said. "Why do you never tell me anything? I don't need to be put in a box."

"Alluka…" Killua started.

"I'm tired of being your little sister who needs to be protected from the whole world. I'm thirteen! Don't you think I can look after myself!" she said.

Killua stared at her for a few long seconds, heart twisting horribly at the words.

"I'm just trying to keep you safe, Alluka…" he said but the words felt weak and like an excuse.

"LEAVING ME IN THE DARK ISN'T KEEPING ME SAFE!" Alluka shouted. The words stung deeply, all the more because they were true. It was Killua's fault. With a sinking feeling, he realised he had failed in everything he had promised to do for Alluka: keeping her safe, keeping her happy, being a good family when no one else had been.

"I…" Killua stuttered.

He stopped. He had no excuses left. No, Alluka didn't deserve to be given excuses, certainly not from Killua. Why hadn't he seen that?

There were a few tears in Alluka's eyes but she ferociously blinked them back. She took a step forward and hugged Killua tightly, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I'm sorry," she whispered hoarsely.

"No, Alluka," Killua said. "I'm sorry." He hugged her back, feeling the warmth seep into his body. It had been cold, although he hadn't realised it until now.

"I'm sorry for being a bad brother. Alluka, I know I've said this before, but can I try again?" he said.

Alluka broke away from the hug and smiled. It was her usual, cheerful smile; the one that never failed to melt the white haired boy's heart.

"You can try as many times as you want," she said.

They stared into each other's eyes, as if the act would somehow strengthen the conclusion they had come to, despite knowing they didn't have the time.

Noticing the presence far behind him, Killua spun around.

Freyzard – they were out of time.

"Alluka, do you have a phone?" he asked, turning back to Alluka. She shook her head.

"Damn," Killua muttered. If only they had a phone they could contact Korosensei who, depending on where he was, could come in minutes. They would have to get to the nearest town.

 _(And endanger the civilians?)_

"We need to get to the nearest phone, phone Korosensei," Killua explained. Alluka shook her head.

"We can't go into the city! The people!"

Killua inhaled deeply before letting go of all the air in his lungs as one collective burst. He needed to protect Alluka but if he tried to endanger innocent people, Alluka would more than likely do something incredibly stupid to make a point.

"Alluka, go," he said, patting her shoulder with a gentle smile on his face.

"Brother…?" she asked, a little trepidation entering her voice.

"Find a phone, call this number," Killua explained. The presence was closer now, inching towards the two at the edge of Killua's senses. Killua gave Alluka Korosensei's phone number and she nodded.

"Remember to hide your presence." Another nod.

"Thank you," Alluka said. She turned and disappeared among the trees. Just as her presence disappeared, just a few metres away from where Killua was standing, Freyzard's disappeared too. He turned to where he had last felt Freyzard's presence and using _en_ let his aura expand across the area, bright and noticeable as a beacon.

He could feel everything. Every leaf on the trees above him, every twig on the ground around him. There was a bird on one of the branches next to him and Killua's attention locked on to it briefly before it fluttered away in panic. It wasn't a large circle of aura – a metre and a half in radius – but it was enough.

Killua let his eyes drift shut.

 _There!_

Even before his eyes snapped open, his body was moving, leaping backwards in an almost cat-like action. A solid mass of nen missed him by centimetres, passing across his vision as a bright blur of light.

Before Killua could even react, the cylindrical shape was once again slashing across his bubble of aura. He dodged it, barely. Retracting his aura into his eyes a little let him see the outline of the shape; Killua saw it hit a nearby tree, taking a large chunk cleanly out of the wood before swinging around for another blow.

 _Godspeed._

He let his _en_ down completely, focusing on converting his nen to electricity.

Although he no longer had the split second warning if the attack came from behind, this time his moves were more fluid, jumping over the attack with ease. Still in mid-air, Killua mapped the trajectory of the attack, calculating the position of the enemy in the time it took to land.

Killua charged forward, towards a dark cluster of leaves above him.

"Hmpf."

Killua distinctively heard the sound before a shadow jumped out of the trees and landed a few metres ahead. Killua landed in front of his opponent.

"Freyzard," he acknowledged. Freyzard's lips twitched upwards as she flicked her blue hair over her shoulders.

"Well, this is bothersome," she said. There was a sudden air of light confidence to her voice.

Before she had even finished speaking, Freyzard swung her arm around and sent a burst of solidified aura in Killua's direction, who ducked down to avoid it.

He charged forward, only to be stopped by the solid mass of Freyzard's aura in front of him. Another swing forced him to jump backwards.

The exchange was repeated a number of times: Freyzard's nen flying towards him and Killua dodging just before the next blow came.

Despite the fact transmuters were supposed to be lacking in long range ability, Freyzard's nen spanned a considerable distance from her body. Killua was fast, far faster than Freyzard, but somehow he couldn't find a way into her protective bubble of attacks long enough to deal serious blow to the wall of aura protecting her.

It was almost like she was predicting his moves, blocking him effectively in as small an action as possible. Was this the gap in experience?

"Damn," Killua muttered quietly under his breath, as he felt a little weakening in the crackle of electricity around him. Already after ten minutes his electricity store was rapidly running out, having spent too much coming here at full speed. It was vital he finished this off quickly.

He dodged another blow from behind. Even the brief lapse of attention left him dangerously slow, the rush of wind detected by the hairs at the back of his necks milliseconds before the attack hit the space he had just been in.

He couldn't focus – half his concentration was expended on just keeping an eye out for the next blow, almost half his aura sent to his eyes in a steady _gyo._

 _(But then again, Freyzard is using her concentration on_ In. _)_

A sudden strong revelation came to Killua as the final thought entered his brain. If Freyzard was using her attention to hide her aura as well as protecting herself, than perhaps she wasn't concentrating fully on the fight either. The playing field was equal.

Now time to tip it too Killua's advantage.

He jumped out of range to a nearby tree. Extending his hand backwards, Killua felt the rough bark under his fingertips. As the next swing flew towards him, he jumped upwards, into the canopy, disappearing neatly among the trees.

With _zetsu_ Killua's aura winked out.

"You think you can hide?" Freyzard said from below him. Killua ignored her, keeping one part of his brain focused on her, in case of more attacks, and the other on keeping as silent as possible.

 _(If you can't win in a one to one battle, turn it into an assassination. Nagisa was brilliant at his.)_

Killua was right above Freyzard. She was alert, apparently understanding his intentions, bright eyes flitting around in search of his silhouette.

He allowed himself a single breath to steady himself. Then, like a stone, he dropped out of the tree.

Because he was still using _zetsu_ his presence wasn't substantial. However, even the slightest disturbance in the air alerted Freyzard, and her eyes snapped immediately upwards. Killua let go of his aura and it burst into life around him. Within the next heartbeat he had collected it back into his eyes, just enough to see the coming blow.

With _ko,_ he braced himself.

His timing was just a moment out. The aura flowed to his side in a well-practiced _ryo_ but not fast enough to completely send all the collected aura to one side. The effect of the blow was damped by the cushion of nen, but it was still like being hit with a freight train in the ribs, pushing him to one side.

Killua gritted his teeth.

"Nice try," Freyzard commented blankly. Killua landed heavily to the side. He picked himself up, just as Freyzard came towards him. He didn't attempt to use _Godspeed._

"Out of electricity?" she asked. Her aura was once again in a long cylinder around her arm – concealed. Killua smirked.

"No," he said. "Waiting."

Suddenly a creak caught Freyzard's attention. She turned in shock, just in time to see the tree behind her fall towards her. She jumped back and it skimmed her blue hair.

 _Shippujinrai_

Killua reacted with inhuman speed, flying forward one final time. As the tree crashed to the ground, he slammed into Freyzard. She toppled to the ground.

As Freyzard attempted to get up, Killua held two nails, sharper than knives and deadly, to her neck. She tensed visibly.

"Move, I kill you. Use nen, I kill you," Killua said, letting the bloodlust drip from his voice.

"How?" Freyzard asked, a little breathlessly. The singe of burning wood caught the wind from the tree that had fallen.

"Electricity does more than carry messages to muscles," Killua commented.

"Will you kill me, Killua- _kun?_ " Freyzard said. Her voice was a little patronising.

"No," Killua said. Freyzard blinked. "I promised a friend of mine. However, if you hurt Alluka again, I might _forget_ that promise."

He stared straight into her eyes, expression cold and harsh.

Freyzard didn't reply. Killua grinned, cheerfully.

"You sold information about my sister, didn't you? You put her in danger. How much more information have you stolen from the Zoldycks? You know, if my family found out about this, I don't think they'll be very pleased; I'm sure Illumi will have something great planned for you," Killua commented. Freyzard didn't react, but Killua didn't miss the subtle paleness of her skin.

"Do you understand? Tell someone about my sister's power one more time and I will kill you. Nod if you do."

After a brief hesitation, Freyzard nodded.

"Good," Killua said.

"I'm not working alone you know," Freyzard said.

"Yeah, I know about Takaoka," Killua dismissed. Freyzard grinned.

"Not that stupid bulk of muscle. My real employer was the one who organised the whole thing; freeing Tadaoka, employing men…" she said. Killua stared at her.

"Who?" he asked coldly. She stared up at him silently. Killua considered his options for a moment.

 _(Of course she's planning to distract you.)_

"Fine," Killua said. He punched her in the face and knocked her out cold. The cold but subtle feeling of nen solidifying behind him disappeared abruptly. "Tell Karasuma that in prison."

As soon as Freyzard was dealt with, the heavy pit of panic returned to his stomach. How much longer would Alluka take? She needed to hurry. Without electricity, it would take minutes for Killua to return to the parking lot.

 _(Gon can't use nen.)_

* * *

 _I loved writing this. Nen fights are brilliantly complex._

 _en - expanding aura_

 _gyo - concentrating aura_

 _ko - concentrating all aura_

 _in - concealing aura_

 _zetsu - stopping aura from being produced_

 _thank you to everyone who reviewed! Please leave any questions or thoughts and I hope to post another chapter next week._


	17. Battle Time

_New chapter: I hope you enjoy it!_

* * *

 **Battle Time**

Gon dealt the first blow, charging forward and swinging a punch at Tadaoka's face. He dodged it, holding his hand's up like a boxer and aiming a solid punch in return at Gon. Gon jumped away.

"A nen-user?" Gon said. He frowned and squinted as though trying to see something invisible about Tadaoka.

It wasn't the first time the word had been used. Nagisa stared at the scene his mind rushing to comprehend. He couldn't come to any conclusion.

"Oh you know nen? Perhaps you pesky brats aren't as hopeless as you seem," Tadaoka said with a manic sneer. "But you aren't a nen-user!" His leg swung upwards and Gon dodged it with a hop backwards.

"I thought I would make a point! Make the stupid brat who thought he could go against me suffer! I should have done this from the start!"

Tadaoka was insane. Nagisa knew this more than anyone.

"Gon! Watch out!" he shouted.

The large, burly man, clenched his fist tightly and threw a second punch at Gon. As Gon dodged, it slammed into the floor underneath him.

Suddenly the world was splintering. The ground, solid stone tiles, was smashed away under the impact of the blow, bits of it flying in all directions as deadly missiles. Nagisa stepped to side almost instinctively, the position somehow miraculously meaning they passed him completely. Gon shielded himself with his arms as the projectiles flew towards him.

"How?" Nagisa whispered, wide eyed.

Tadaoka's laugh was loud, without even the pretence of sanity.

"You brats will never understand! Stupid, pesky flies!" he shouted. He locked a glare onto Nagisa.

There was no point trying to put reason into him.

Nagisa knew that one punch like that would be enough to make either of them into red smears on the floor. Tadaoka was stronger than them, massively so.

"Gon!" Nagisa said. "We should go!"

Find Korosensei and Karasuma. Call the police.

"No!" Gon replied. Nagisa stared at him. Was he mad?

"Gon…"

"I'm not giving up here!" the other boy said.

Nagisa looked desperately at Tadaoka for any sort of weakness in his stance, anything that could give them a chance of winning. He forced his breathing to become level and told his mind to _think._ Tadaoka had the brute force, however, he was slow and prone making small slips that cost him a fight. In the past year, Nagisa had defeated him twice before. They could do this.

Tadaoka laughed and closed one hand into a fist by his chest. Suddenly Nagisa's ears were ringing and an invisible pressure thundering against his skull.

Gon jumped back, next to Nagisa, his face twisted into a frown.

"You know what this is? _Ko._ If you even touch it, you're pancakes," Tadaoka said, a large smug grin on his face.

Despite the situation, Nagisa was surprisingly calm. Slipping his hand into his pocket, he noted the fact Killua's stun gun was still there.

"Gon," he said. "Let me do this."

Gon turned briefly, catching Nagisa's look. Nagisa stared at Tadaoka, mind-set.

"Yes," Tadaoka was saying. "Come on Nagisa! Face me one last time!"

Yes. One last time.

This time he would win. Completely and utterly, without leaving a single chance for Tadaoka to recover from the blow. His bloodlust was buzzing around him, transfixed on Tadaoka. There was no smile on his face this time, just a blank sense of purpose. Gon turned to his and fixed his stare, surprise etched on his features.

Nagisa rushed forward.

"Nagisa, don't touch him!" Gon's shout was clear and ringing in his ears.

Nagisa dodged an incoming fist. At missed him by centimetres and even though it hadn't even hit him, it left a long gash on his cheek.

 _(He could feel it.)_

Around Tadaoka, cocooning him like a shell. Mid-charge, Nagisa watched… no _felt_ the invisible pressure collected around the man's large fist, leaving weakness everywhere else.

There it was safe to touch.

Nagisa grabbed the other hand.

"Nagisa!"

Tadaoka's face was twisted in shock as well as rage. Would the man ever admit his defeat? Or would he forever be haunted by the burning need for revenge?

He pulled the hand he had left in his pocket out, the stun gun with it. Already, the clump of _something_ around Tadaoka's hand was returning to his body, snaking terrifyingly fast towards him. Nagisa felt a cold shiver run down his spine.

A rock smashed into Tadaoka's head.

The man's neck snapped around, staring ahead in fury. The energy stopped moving for a brief moment.

 _(Gon?)_

Nagisa pressed the stun gun against his neck and pushed the button, just as he let go of Tadaoka's hand. The world erupted white.

It felt like an age before Tadaoka slumped down onto the floor, out cold. Nagisa breathed deeply in and out, trying to calm his raising heart.

"Nagisa!" a voice suddenly called from the doorway. Nagisa looked to see Killua, eyes wide with shock. Gon too, was staring intently at the blue haired boy.

"You…!" Killua started then stopped, apparently lost for words. He stalked up to Nagisa, (Nagisa vacantly noted how he had changed his steps as if to cover for an injury), and grabbed his shirt collar.

"Idiot!" he finished. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I don't…" Nagisa managed. Killua let him go.

"You don't know nen, do you," Killua said, a little dumbfounded.

"What…" Nagisa started. He realised his palms were slick with perspiration and he wiped it off on his jeans. All his senses were screaming at him that he had almost died, even though he himself had no idea what was going on.

"You're as bad as Gon! And even Gido wasn't using _Ko!"_ Killua said.

"Hey! I knew it would be alright!" Gon said defiantly from behind Killua. Killua turned around and glared at him.

"Don't encourage him!"

"I'm fine," Nagisa managed weakly. He was. Honestly.

"You don't even know what happened," Killua snapped back.

"Then you'll have to teach him _."_

Nagisa turned at the familiar voice, immediately recognising the yellow shape that had taken up the doorway. Korosensei had his usual grin on, although Nagisa swore it was a larger one than always.

"Korosensei!" he said enthusiastically.

Killua was staring at Korosensei.

"Teach him… nen?" he asked uncertainly.

Korosensei's smile widened further.

"What else?"

* * *

Soon after, the police arrived with Karasuma. The imposing man seemed to be worried about Tadaoka's escape and was busy rethinking the security of their newest prisoner, but took the time to praise the four of them for dealing with the situation. The whole group of them had gotten the day off by Korosensei to 'recover from the shock of the incident' and Alluka obviously thought it would be a great time for all of them to make reconciliations.

Killua still refused to talk to both Nagisa and Gon. He seemed angry but that wasn't the main emotion that had been present since Gon explained what had happened. He stormed in front of the group, hands clenched, eyebrows coming together in a deep frown.

Once they were home, Killua sat down. Nagisa sat next to him and tipped his head to the side, trying to look at Killua's face. Alluka put water in the kettle and started making tea.

"Killua?" Nagisa said.

"Why didn't you run?" Killua asked, staring at the clock blankly as he did so.

Gon looked to the side, a little tinge of guilt in his expression.

"Nagisa nearly died," Killua said.

"I'm really sorry," Nagisa said apologetically. Killua ignored him.

"Gon?"

"Well… I was angry. He hurt Alluka and you care about Alluka…" Gon started. "I care about Alluka."

Killua watched his explanation with exasperation. He sighed and ducked his head, not speaking. Years ago he would have shouted at the boy, called him an idiot and hit him around the head, but now he had lost the will to repeat his actions.

"Are you angry?" Gon asked.

"No," Killua said quietly. He still hadn't looked up. "This is so… you." It was. How long had it taken for Killua to realise? _This_ was Gon. The mad, stupid Gon who went around endangering people's lives because he was _angry._

 _(But Killua had…)_

"I'm sorry," Gon said.

"Gon you can't use nen anymore. You can't… do what you used to do. Do you understand?" Killua needed him to understand. Like this, Gon was more dangerous than ever – with the same fierce determination but without the power to back it. He was like a cannon made of glass, ready to shatter at the first thing it touched.

 _(Knowing that, Killua had still…)_

"Killua…" Gon said.

"I'm sorry," Killua interrupted him abruptly. Gon stared at him, a little confusion in his voice and Killua continued. "I left you behind. I knew he was a nen-user, that Nagisa didn't know a thing… I knew you would be too stubborn to run and I still… left you… behind."

 _(It was his job to stop him being stupid. This wasn't the first time he had failed at that.)_

He was staring at his socks, the words clogging up painfully in his mouth. Killua could feel Alluka's stare on his back.

"I left both you and Alluka in the dark about what was going on. _You_ still don't know what's going on," Killua gave a hallow laugh. "- it's my fault."

"When you say 'left in the dark', do you mean assassinating that octopus?"

Killua looked up. Gon's brown eyes were fixed on his. There was nothing accusing about his stare or any clue in his demeanour that suggested disappointment.

"He's called Korosensei," Alluka said brightly.

"Short for _korosenai sensei,_ the un-killable teacher," Nagisa commented.

"How did you know?" Killua asked, feeling like a bit of moron.

Gon scratched his head and gave a little laugh.

"Well, when I first came here, the other students were talking about it. The rest I kind of figured out," he said.

Killua stared at him.

"So you're not…" he paused.

"Not what?" Gon asked obliviously.

"It's _assassination!_ " Killua said, arms open in a melodramatic pose.

"Well… yeah," Gon started. "But the target seems happy with it so I think it's cool!" He gave a bright grin to demonstrate how 'cool' he thought it was.

 _(He had always assumed Gon didn't like his assassination background.)_

"So it's fine to kill someone as long as the other person is _happy_ about it?" Killua snapped back. This was ridiculous. Gon was against killing.

Gon tipped his head in thought.

"The students are learning from it, so I don't think it's right to take that from them," he said. His voice was quiet and serious compared to his earlier remark.

There was a little stilted second of silence.

"And you've forgotten about the whole 'going to destroy the world next year!' thing," Killua said.

"Well he hasn't done it yet!" Gon countered loudly.

"Cuz that really makes a difference!" Killua laughed sarcastically. Gon was so engrossed in the evidence before his eyes he had no concentration left for the bigger picture. Despite the fact it was one of his glaring weaknesses, Killua was blinded by it's bright innocence. It was also what made him special; not power or potential, but this.

He didn't judge people by other people's standards. Only with what he had.

Gon was laughing.

"What?" Killua asked. "What's so funny?"

He was very tempted to punch the black haired boy (not too hard, of course).

"You're back to the normal Killua!" he said.

Killua stared at him.

Yes, the tension that had been presence since their reunion had gone entirely. He wondered why.

"Killua, why did you stop calling?" Gon asked curiously, suddenly changing the topic conversation.

 _(For Alluka. To protect Alluka.)_

"I was just… busy, I guess," Killua sighed. "Gon, I'm serious. You can't use nen. You can't keep charging around as the hero."

Gon nodded seriously.

As soon as something came up, he would probably forget about this warning. But that was alright because Killua would be there this time to stop him.

That was his job now. To protect both of them whilst making a life of his own.

Killua didn't know what to think.

* * *

 _So what did you think? Nearly at the end of the story now. Thank you everyone for being so supportive!_


	18. Conclusion Time

_Last chapter!_

* * *

 **Conclusion Time**

A knife cut through the air, its edge forming a wide arc just where a yellow figure was moments before.

The stark concentration on Gon's face was comedic when watched from a distance. A few autumn leaves clung to his hair, its coppery hues or red and brown contrasting with the green tinge that reflected the sunlight as always.

Killua gave a small sigh, putting his hands on his hips.

"So much for subtle," he commented.

Nagsia, to his side, gave no reply; his blue eyes were transfixed on Gon.

A week after the incident with Freyzard, Gon was officially a member of Class E and Nagisa was on his way to becoming a Nen-user. With Karasuma's permission, of course. Killua wondered if Korosensei knew Nen. He didn't seem to react much to its existence, but he never showed any signs of using it. Perhaps, like Gon, he had lost his nen too.

Suddenly Gon stopped, midway through a second attack, in a simple feint.

The worry on Korosensei's yellow face was momentarily there, faced with a surprising move, but it was quickly gone, replaced by his usual look of smugness. Even from this distance, from the top of the cliff in the forest, Killua could see the teacher's expression carefully.

"HAAAA!"

At the final scream, Gon throw his punch. Killua sighed again as it missed Korosensei's blurring form by miles.

But still, that feint had been good – simple but effective. Despite having never tried assassination before, Gon was surprisingly adept at it. Years ago, when Gon had told him he had stalked Hisoka for over a day, Killua had had trouble believing him. Now he realised what he had been missing: Gon wasn't just a fighter, he was a Hunter.

Assassin and Hunter. They were surprisingly similar, now that Killua thought about it. They both, to an extent, relied on underhand tactics and an uneven playing field, with strategic planning sometimes winning against strength. You only needed one hit. Your aim wasn't to win.

 _("I'm not an assassin anymore; I'm a Hunter.")_

Killua had run from assassination for so long now, he had almost forgotten why. Yet here, at Class E, it was suddenly something he was forced to confront with on a daily bases.

And for some reason he found he didn't mind. No, killing wasn't the path he had chosen, but perhaps he would never turn his back on it altogether.

Korosensei had appeared behind Gon, his usual stripy face showing. Gon sensed him milliseconds later, turning with wide eyed shock. Was that a hairbrush in the octopus' hand?

"Killua, lessons start in ten minutes," Nagisa said from beside him. Killua got out his phone to check the fact; he was right.

Gon was laughing. Killua noted that the black haired boy's impossible spiky hair had been tamed down with some sort of gel, so that he looked like a magazine cover school boy. But excitement on his face was as genuine and innocent as it always had been. Killua found a smile of his own slipping onto his face.

There was just enough time for one last thing.

As he slipped his hand into his uniform pocket, Killua's fingers touched a smooth, rounded surface of anti-Korosensei material. Karasuma had given it to him yesterday. Killua took out the bright yellow yoyo and put the loop of string around his middle finger. Without batting an eyelid, he stepped forward.

The wind was rushing across his face, whipping his platinum hair backwards. Gon saw him and their eyes met; suddenly, it seemed, both of them knew what the other was going to do. As Killua swung his yoyo towards Korosensei's face, Gon readied himself for another attack.

* * *

"As long as she has that power, it will always be a risk, Killua- _kun._ Whether that risk is something to take, is ultimately her own choice," Korosensei explained.

Killua didn't reply. The silence sat heavily in the air for a long while. The man introduced as Karasuma stood sternly in the corner of his office, watching carefully without interrupting.

Nanika? With no powers?

Alluka tried to think about what that would mean, or whether it was even possible. True, they hadn't used Nanika's wish granted ability for over a year and nor had they thought they would ever use it again. However, it had always been a part of her and she wasn't quite sure how she would feel if she lost it.

But it wasn't Alluka's choice. It wasn't her power.

 _I don't mind. As long as Killua pats my head!_

"Nanika… are you sure?"

All eyes – Killua, Karasuma and Korosensei's – were on her. No wishes…

Killua had never said it, but he had implied it enough times. It was Nanika which made her special… different and was the reason the whole family had argued so fiercely. Without Nanika's wishes, perhaps everything would be better.

"Alluka?" Killua asked, a little trepidation evident in his voice.

"Let me think," Alluka said. "Let us think." Nanika stirred inside her.

"Of course, it is your choice if you wish to kill me now," Korosensei said. "My life is in your hands."

Killua stared at Korosensei. Alluka knew what he was thinking today, plain as day. Nanika had always been a backup plan, hadn't she? In case Korosensei couldn't be assassinated by the end of the year, Nanika was always there to grant wishes. Alluka wasn't sure what choice was right.

"Why? Why are you doing this?" Killua asked.

"Doing what?" Korosensei asked, his smile unfaltering.

"Threatening to destroy the world. Teaching," Killua explained. Korosensei was so infuriating sometimes - like he was the puppeteer of his own little stage, playing a game that no one else had full vantage of. But it wasn't a game. This stage was meant to teach.

"Before you make your decision, Alluka- _san,_ Killua- _kun,_ Nanika- _san._ There is one thing I want you to hear," Korosensei said.

Alluka turned to Korosensei.

"What's that?" she asked.

"My past," Korosensei said.

-o0o-

A day later the decision was made. This time, Killua, Alluka and Nanika sat alone in their apartment's living room. Killua was unnaturally sombre, although Alluka and Nanika tried to cheer him up as much as possible.

"It's not like we're leaving!" Alluka teased, pocking her brother in the ribs. They weren't. Nothing would change, other than the fact the two of them would be just ordinary children. In fact it was a giant weight off their back, with no more fear of wishes to juggle.

"Sure?" Killua asked.

"Yep," Alluka returned with a cheerful grin.

"You can think about this if you want."

"We're sure," Alluka said firmly. They didn't kill Korosensei in the end. Killua might have contemplated, but Alluka most definitely wouldn't allow it. More than anything, Class E's success relied on this and the two had no right to take this from them. The world would probably be alright anyway, whatever doubts anyone held. There was a silent agreement, however, that Gon wouldn't be told.

 _("I will die in a year's time, whether through assassination or not.")_

She closed her eyes.

 _Can you come out?_ Alluka asked Nanika.

' _Kay._

The world slipped to black.

( _"Nanika. This is my final order to you. You are forbidden from listening to anyone's wishes again, even from me." "'Kay…")_

When Alluka returned to the normal world, Killua's expression was a little odd, staring at her expectantly. In contrast, Nanika seemed overjoyed, apparently having got a pat from Killua. Alluka knew what had been done. She didn't feel sad. On the other hand he felt kind of light.

"I love you Brother!" she said. Killua smiled back, genuine and cheerful.

"Gon's probably gonna be back soon," Killua said, glancing at the clock. Alluka smiled sweetly.

"I think I should eat all the chocolate."

Killua stared at her, anger on his face that didn't reach his eyes.

"You wouldn't!" he cried melodramatically.

* * *

 _("Gon needs you, Brother. But that doesn't mean you have to be with him every second of his life!")_

Killua's yoyo missed Korosensei by millimetres. The spinning end travelled in a wide arc and hit a nearby tree, bouncing off with a loud thud. It wasn't as strong as the yoyos Killua was used to, as the new material compromised the weight. Gon's punch also missed but it was stratifying to see the hue of panic appear on Korosensei's face.

"Damn!" Gon said loudly.

Killua landed at the bottom of the cliff effortlessly, unperturbed by the massive drop.

"Nurufufufu."

Korosensei's laugh was as conspicuous as usual. Killua felt the large presence behind him and turned around slowly. After a few weeks in Class E, he had gotten used to the teacher's presence suddenly appearing behind him, as Korosensei had a tendency to do.

"More imagination. I always tell you this," Korosensei said, holding up a tentacle. "However, Killua- _kun,_ your teamwork has improved immensely over the past week." Killua shoved his hands back into his pockets and sighed.

"You're too fast. It's unfair," he said.

Korosensei's smile widened. He was holding a suspicious amount of hairbrushes in his many tentacles.

Killua took a shaky step backwards.

"Umm… I need to go," he said quickly. He didn't hold a single chance. Korosensei was on him in an instant, brushing his usually puffy hair down and straightening it. Killua threw a knife at him but it missed by metres.

"You…" Killua started.

"See you in Class," Korosensei said and he was off, a yellow streak zooming through the sky.

Gon was laughing at him. From the top of the cliff, Nagisa was too. Killua shot both of them a half-hearted glare. Putting a hand to his head, he winced as he realised the state of his hair, now lying flat on his head.

"Idiot! You're hair's not much better!" Killua shouted at Gon.

Gon didn't stop laughing. If anything he started laughing harder, holding his stomach.

Killua frantically ruffled his hair, attempting to return it to its original position.

"We should go to class," he said.

Gon stopped laughing, finally.

"Aww… Killua! Classes are boring!" He had exploded in maths yesterday, to the horror of many of his classmates. They were still trying to convince the rest of the class that Gon was alright.

"Idiot," Killua said again, hitting him hard on the head. It wasn't a serious punch, although Gon rubbed his head with a pout on his face.

The awkward stiltedness of their conversations had disappeared almost entirely after the whole incident with Tadaoka and Freyzard. Perhaps risking their lives had jolted them suddenly back into their old routine of trust.

"Fine," Gon whined.

Together, they headed off to the first lesson of the day.

* * *

A single rose slipped out of place in the plastic bucket and fell soundlessly to the ground. Its colour was white as snow, shining almost translucently on the dusty pavement where it lay. The man who worked at the small flower shop picked it up with thin, delicate fingers before carefully flicking away in dirt that clung to its petals. It wasn't as sturdy as its darker varieties, but with care it was a rose that could thrive quite spectacularly.

"Electricity," he muttered quietly under his breath.

There was a small smile on the shop keeper's face. It was silent and still, a strange dissonance to his otherwise warm features. He studied the rose for a second more before he slipped it back into the bucket with the rest of the flowers, next to a light pink rose with a soft scent.

"And the Hunter who can't use Nen."

From a different bucket, he picked up another flower, a bright yellow sunflower with dark leaves. With some clippers, he trimmed the edge of the stem before slipping it in-between the flowers at the back of the bucket.

 _A shame Tadaoka and Freyzard was defeated. I was optimistic about that plan._

He really was the only person he seemed to be able to trust. To be honest he had predicted this – one reason he had gotten Tadaoka to orchestrate it, instead of himself.

He would have to make a personal appearance on the stage soon.

He stared the odd variety of different flowers in the plain black bucket. There didn't seemed to be any pattern to the type of flowers – from a small daisy to a bright camellia. Some were out of season but he was the Master of Cultivation and no challenge could deter him. His collection had grown from the start of the year.

Such beautiful flowers were just waiting to be picked.

Despite being the Master of Assassination, he had never dealt with such a large group. Not that it would matter. He was the Master of all plans. He never failed.

* * *

 _And that's it! I feel like it's been so long since I started writing thisXD_

 _Taco, Guest: Thank you!_

 _Everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited this story, thank you so much!_


End file.
